The Path to Forever
by blk0912
Summary: Originally part of my "A Different Way to Happily Ever After" compilation. After her TV show fails, Rachel resigns herself to a life in Lima. Unwilling to let their daughter's dream die, Hiram and Leroy call the only person they know who could help her refocus and still accomplish her dreams. What revelations will Shelby's reappearance cause and how does Jesse fit in?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So, those of you who have read my "A Different Way to Happily Ever After" compilation have already gotten the first two chapters of this, but I have decided to make it a separate story. I will keep the first two parts there as well, but the remaining chapters won't be posted there. I had originally planned this as sort of a glee/smash crossover, but I'm not sure about that. As I write, it seems to be turning into more of an AU of "A New Beginning", so we'll see. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or SMASH

* * *

><p>Sitting in her room at her dads' house in Lima, Rachel sighed as she resigned herself to the fact that she would now be stuck here for the rest of her life. She'd burned bridges both academically and professionally that she didn't think she'd be able to mend. So now she was going to revive McKinley's show choir…again. When she heard a knock on her door a few minutes later, she assumed it was one of her dads, so she automatically called for them to come in, surprised when she heard a female voice say her name instead.<p>

"Shelby, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked, not bothering to hide her surprise.

"Your dads called me," Shelby explained as she entered the room. "Can we talk?"

"I don't know what there is to talk about, but sure, why not."

After she had shut the door and taken a seat on Rachel's desk chair, Shelby spoke again.

"Your dads are worried about you, Rachel. Ever since you moved to New York, it's like you've become a different person, and especially since Finn died, you've been all over the place."

"The plan was always to come back here after starring on Broadway," Rachel explained with a wave of her hand. "Finn and I would get married and live happily ever after. I'm just moving back sooner than I thought I would and obviously I won't be marrying Finn. Not that you care, you never liked him, anyway."

"I wasn't overly fond of him, no," Shelby agreed. "However, that's beside the point. Losing someone is difficult and it can throw you into a tailspin, which is what seemed to happen to you. You became so desperate to be successful that you jeopardized your reputation in the process. Are you worried that you would never be successful, never find love again?"

"My dads asked me the same thing, and I'll tell you what I told them-I don't know. The TV show seemed like a good idea, but I missed Broadway. I realized my mistake, but it was already too late. The damage had been done, which was only made worse by angering Carmen Tibideaux."

"Well, that certainly wasn't the best series of moves you made there, but I don't think it's completely impossible to one day land another leading role on Broadway. I won't lie, it's going to take a lot of hard work and determination, but if anyone could take Broadway by storm a second time, it's you, Rachel."

"What am I supposed to do, go on auditions all day every day until someone decides I'm not too much of a flight risk to cast?"

"No, you're going to come back to New York with me. You will work part-time at the daycare with me until you find another role, with the rest of your time being spent taking dance classes and acting lessons to supplement the vocal lessons you'll have with me. It might not be NYADA, but it's as close as I can get you. You are a fantastic singer, dancer, and actress, Rachel, but you need to stand out, to show that you're making an effort. Jewish girl from small-town Ohio isn't going to cut it."

"I don't understand," Rachel said with a sigh. "Why are you willing to help me like this?"

"Because at the end of the day, you're a talented girl who made some big mistakes. You aren't the first and you likely won't be the last. If you want to be on Broadway like you say you do, you're going to have to work your way back up. I care about you, Rachel, whether you believe me or not. I want to see you succeed and so do your dads. You need structure and guidance, both of which I can give you."

"Why are you so willing to help me, but you weren't willing to help Jesse? Why did you let him come back here?"

"I'm not sure how Jesse fits into this conversation, but for your information, I _did_ help him. It took him a while to accept it, not that I blame him, but he did what I told him and now he's on the right path again."

"Oh."

"Let's shelve the Jesse discussion for another time, okay?" Shelby asked, waiting for Rachel's nod of agreement before she continued. "I want to see you succeed, Rachel. I know you have it in you, you just need to believe in yourself again."

"Did you tell my dads what you have planned?" Rachel wondered.

"Yes. They thought it would be a good idea, and they promised to visit as often as they can. As much as they would love having you around all the time again, they know Lima isn't the place for you."

"Where would I live? I kind of doubt Kurt and Santana would let me move back into the loft, especially since Dani has now moved in, and I doubt even more that Elliott would let me live with him again for any kind of money."

"I already spoke with your dads about living arrangements as well, and we agreed that either of the options you just listed weren't likely to work, so we came up with a couple of others. I have a spare room that I would be willing to let you have, otherwise there is a small studio apartment in the building I live in that your dads would be willing to help you pay for."

"Can I think about it?"

"Absolutely," Shelby told her with a smile. "I'm in town visiting some family for the next few days. I will check with you before I leave, but if you make a decision before that, let me know."

"I will. Thank you."

Shelby nodded, setting a picture on Rachel's desk as she stood and then walked back downstairs to update Hiram and Leroy on her progress.

* * *

><p>After watching her mother leave the room, Rachel walked over to her desk to pick up her cell phone so she could call Kurt when she felt something inside of her telling her to wait. Biting her lip, she debated for a few moments whether or not to ignore the feeling, finally deciding to go with it.<p>

Walking over to her closet, she pushed aside the clothes that were hanging in front of the pocket door only a few knew was there. After hesitating for another moment, she opened the door and stepped into the small space on the other side of the door, reaching for a box she had hidden there what seemed like an eternity ago. When she found what she was looking for, she brought it back to her bed, closing the door and moving the clothes back on her way.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure she'll take you up on your offer?" Hiram asked, handing Shelby a cup of the tea he had made to keep himself busy.<p>

"I'm not leaving without her," Shelby answered. "I will do whatever it takes to convince her that New York is the right place for her. I know she has what it takes to make it on Broadway…again."

"So you think it's possible for her to rebuild her reputation?" Leroy wondered.

"I do. It's going to take a lot more hard word and determination than the first time around. However, I know a few people who could help her with that. I don't think it will take long for everything to fall into place. In fact, I'm confident that it won't."

"Does a certain boy with the same last name as a certain theater happen to be involved in this?"

"You mean Jesse."

"Yes."

"That's up to Rachel. He wants to see her again; I'm fairly certain he's still in love with her. Judging from the way Rachel brought him up in our conversation earlier, I think the feeling is mutual, too. I'm not going to interfere this time, though."

"Aren't you already kind of interfering?"

"Would you rather I didn't help Rachel get back to New York?"

Leroy sighed as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I just want to see my little girl happy again. I know she occasionally got homesick when she was in New York, but that's normal. I wish she would have talked to us more, not tried to handle everything on her own."

"We raised her to make her own decisions," Hiram reminded his husband. "She's also been fiercely independent from the very beginning. However, I do share your wish that she would have talked to us more."

"She's seemed so lost lately. It breaks my heart."

"You two did a fantastic job with Rachel," Shelby told them. "She'll make the right decision. She knows New York is where she's meant to be."

"Since you're helping us so much, is there anything _we_ can help _you _with, Shelby?" Leroy asked.

"Actually, I was hoping for some parental advice regarding Beth. If you two don't mind…"

"Not at all," Hiram said, joining Shelby and Leroy at the table. "It also keeps us from checking on Rachel every five minutes."

* * *

><p>Sitting on her bed, Rachel carefully lifted the lid of the box, happy to see the contents were still intact. It was mostly pictures, with a few CDs and movies mixed in. She was looking for a particular CD when she came across the odd item in the bunch-a care bear. The one Jesse had won for her on one of their dates. The one that he had been relieved to know she still had that day in the library. As she ran her fingers over the bear, she felt herself being bombarded by memories of her time with Jesse. Looking back on it, she still didn't understand what exactly went wrong. She still felt she could have done something more, something different.<p>

"I just wanted to be enough for someone for once," she tearfully confessed to herself, unable to keep her tears at bay any longer as she curled up on her bed still holding the care bear.

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><p>"Do you think we should go check on Rachel?" Hiram asked about fifteen minutes later, glancing back and forth between Leroy and Shelby.<p>

"Do you think something is wrong?" Leroy wondered.

"I don't know. I just kind of expected Rachel to jump at this opportunity, or at least come downstairs to talk to us about it."

"I did, too," Shelby confessed. "If you two don't mind, I'd like to go first. If I'm not back in five minutes, meet me upstairs."

"I'll get some water in case she's upset," Hiram decided.

"You don't think she would have done anything…bad…do you?" Leroy asked.

"No. I think she's probably confused and maybe a little upset," Shelby answered.

"Go ahead, Shelby," Hiram told her. "We'll be up in a few minutes."

Shelby nodded, walking back upstairs to Rachel's room.

* * *

><p>"Rachel?" Shelby asked as she knocked on the door, listening closely for an answer. When she didn't receive an answer, she knocked again, only entering the room after her second attempt yielded no answer.<p>

Walking into the room, Shelby looked around for a moment before she found Rachel curled up on the bed with an open box beside her.

"Why was I never good enough?" Rachel tearfully asked. "Why did you have to convince him I wasn't good enough?"

"Rachel, honey…" Shelby started, walking over to the bed and tentatively wrapping her arms around the crying girl. "That's not it at all."

"Then _what is it_? My life was fine until you decided you needed to meet me. Until you made him pursue me. Until you decided that since you didn't want me anymore, he shouldn't either."

"I admit that I messed that up…badly. I didn't realize how deep his feelings really were until it was too late. I'm so sorry. I realize I was wrong. I _do_ want to get to know. I was thrown off by the fact that you clearly didn't need me."

"I _did_ need you! I wanted to get to know you, too! I might not have needed a mom to raise me, but being a mom doesn't just stop when your kid is grown."

"I know. I was wrong. I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry."

"I just wanted to be good enough," Rachel repeated.

"You _are_ good enough," Shelby told her. "You've been the light of your dads' lives since the day you were born. I saw them fall in love with you the moment they set eyes on you. They've loved you since before you were born. I also have it on good authority that you managed to find the heart of a certain boy that many believed didn't exist."

"What good authority is that?"

"Jesse himself. I hurt him, too. More than I realized. More than he let on at first."

"What do you mean 'at first'?"

"It was after graduation. Jesse came to say goodbye to some of the other team members. He asked me if we could talk in private, and I agreed, figuring I owed him at least that. I knew he was mad at me. He'd been short with me since he came back to Carmel, avoided me when he could. Anyway, the minute I closed the door to my office, he told me everything. He told me that he had been in love with you, that he hated me for what I had done to you, for what I had done to him. He told me I was a fool for letting you walk away and he hoped I was happy letting you stay in the toxic environment that was New Directions because it was going to come back to bite us both in the ass. He said he'd find a way to apologize to you for his part in everything, but he knew you needed time until you'd be willing to see him again."

"He came back my junior year."

"I know. I didn't realize how bad things were until I started coaching at McKinley. By then, though, it was too late. I tried to help you; I tried to do things on your terms. Jesse said the two of you were talking before Nationals and Finn interrupted you."

"He'd always felt threatened by Jesse. I never told him this, but I was disappointed that my conversation with Jesse got cut short. It was the first time all day that I hadn't felt pressured or tense."

"Rachel, can I ask you something?" Shelby inquired a few moments later, noticing the bear the younger girl was holding.

"Um, sure, I guess," Rachel answered.

"Why did you dig this stuff out?"

"I started thinking about New York, and that led me to thinking about Jesse. He always made me feel like I was enough, just as I was. Like being with me was all he needed. I messed things up, too. He's not the only one who made mistakes. I pushed him away again because I didn't want to get hurt. Being with Finn was safe and predictable. Jesse is neither of those things. My teammates also didn't ridicule me for being with Finn, but they did for being with Jesse. School was hard enough as it was. I didn't want to make it worse. I know I shouldn't have cared so much, but I did."

"Do you want to see Jesse again?"

"I don't know if _he_ would be willing to see _me_ again, honestly. I know I wouldn't be able to let him walk out of my life again, but I also can't bear the thought of him being with anyone else. I know that sounds incredibly selfish, but it's true."

"He had to watch you with Finn, and then hear about Brody. That wasn't easy for him to do."

"I know," Rachel admitted softly.

"If you want to be with him again, you're going to have to break down the walls he's built back up."

"Has he…has he been with anyone else?"

"He's dated a couple of different times, but nothing serious. Nothing more than a couple of dates. He told me he wants to concentrate completely on his career for a while."

"I wish I could see him," Rachel confessed.

"He's probably going to be mad, you know," Shelby informed her. "You threw away your chance at NYADA like it was nothing, like it was some school that just anyone could get into. He went to bat for you, Rachel."

"He did what?"

"He's the one who spoke to Dean Tibideaux at Nationals. He's always believed in your talent, and he understood how much you wanted a spot at NYADA and how that could make you resort to desperate measures. He may have only been at the school for a year before deciding to take some time off, but he earned her respect in that short time. He put his reputation on the line for you. I know for a fact that he's spoken to Dean Tibideaux since and she isn't going to hold it against him, but he was really worried that she would."

"Oh."

"If you apologize, he'll probably forgive you. He seems to have a soft spot where you're concerned. He's a good guy, Rachel, and he's grown up a lot since his senior year of high school."

"I know. I could see it when he came back my junior year."

"If you want to be with him, you need to do the same. I know dealing with the death of a loved one can be difficult, and I'm here if you need me, as are your dads, but you need to make a decision. Do you think Finn would have wanted you to sit here and wallow for the rest of your life?"

"He was never crazy about New York."

"Okay, then what about Puck? Quinn? Santana? Kurt? Blaine? What would they say?"

"Kurt would probably tell me to stop being silly and get my butt back to New York where I belong. Noah would tell me to get my ass in gear and go after what I want. Quinn would tell me I'd be crazy not to jump at the chance to go back to New York, and she'd probably be disappointed if I didn't. Santana would probably threaten to come back here herself and drag me back. Blaine would be the most understanding, he'd probably just tell me he'd support me no matter what I decided, but Broadway is something I've always had in common with him, too. I think he'd be disappointed if I didn't give it another shot, too."

"You have a support system in New York, too. If they're really your friends, and you and Jesse decide to give your relationship another chance, they should support you and get to know him. Once you get past the arrogant ass persona, he can actually be a good friend."

"Noah always called him the male version of me."

"Just think about it. I'll see what I can do about you being able to see Jesse."

Unable to shake the feeling that they were being watched, Rachel glanced over at the doorway to see her dads standing there.

"Dad? Daddy?" she asked, unsure what else to say.

"We didn't want to interrupt," Hiram said as he and Leroy walked over to her.

"I want to go back to New York. I love you both very much, but I don't belong here anymore."

"We were hoping you'd say that," Leroy told her as he hugged her tightly. "We love you, honey. We're here for you whenever you need us. Shelby will be just across the hall from your apartment if you need anything, too."

"I hope you don't mind living that close," Shelby added.

"At least I know who one of my neighbors will be," Rachel decided with a small smile for her mother.

Shelby returned her daughter's smile before she spoke again.

"I hate to cut this short, but I need to get Beth. I'll be in touch."

Rachel nodded, giving her mother another hug before watching her daddy take Shelby's place on her bed.

"You'll always be enough for your Dad and me. You know that, right, sweetie?" Hiram told her.

"I know. You two are the best dads a girl could ask for. I think I'm going to take a quick shower before dinner. I also promised Kurt I'd call him."

"We'll come get you when dinner is ready," Leroy promised, leaning down to give her a hug before he and Hiram left the room.

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><p>A few days later, Rachel was deciding what items to take with her to New York when she accidentally knocked over the box of items that reminded her of Jesse. As she was picking them up, she noticed the case that contained the cassette tape of Shelby singing had fallen open, revealing a small piece of paper she hadn't noticed before. Carefully removing it from the case, she opened it and was surprised to find a short note, immediately recognizing the handwriting as Jesse's.<p>

_Rachel-_

_I know you've been curious about your mom and I know you don't think you're ready for this, but you are. I hope one day you can forgive me for the hurt I've caused you. I'll make it up to you someday, I promise._

_Love,_

_Jesse_

"I hope you meant that, Jesse," Rachel whispered to herself as she put the note and cassette case back in the box, "and I hope you'll let me make up for my mistakes, too."

* * *

><p>"Are you ready to go, sweetie?" Hiram asked as he entered his daughter's room. "Your dad and I put everything in Shelby's car."<p>

"I just have two things left," Rachel answered as she zipped up her suitcase, "this suitcase and that box on the bed. I'd like to take the box if you can get my suitcase."

Hiram nodded, doing as his daughter requested before following her down the stairs and outside to Shelby's car.

"Ready to go?" Shelby asked as she saw the two approaching.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Rachel answered. "Where's Beth?"

"My parents are flying back with her as we speak. They promised to visit Holly anyway, so they're kind of killing two birds with one stone."

"Who's Holly?"

"Your cousin. My niece. She's a year older than you."

"She lives in New York?"

"Yes. She's studying to be a nurse. I'll tell you more about her on the way."

Rachel nodded, setting the box and suitcase in the car before turning to her dads and giving them each a tight hug.

"Call us when you get there," Leroy requested.

"I will." Rachel promised. "I'll see you both in a couple of weeks?"

"Yes. I'll email you our itinerary," Hiram replied.

"I love you," Rachel told them before getting into the car with Shelby.

"I really hope things turn out better for her this time around," Leroy commented as he watched Shelby begin to drive away.

"Me, too," Hiram agreed.

* * *

><p>"I have your keys in my apartment, I asked the manager to drop them off since your forms are all signed." Shelby told Rachel as they entered the apartment building. "I want you to start at the daycare with me on Monday, but that still gives you a few days to get settled here."<p>

"Can you help me find some dance classes, too?" Rachel asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"There's a dance studio in the same building as my daycare. Holly teaches there part-time for extra money."

"Are your parents still here?"

"Yes. Holly is with them. You don't have to come in and meet them if you're not ready, though."

"I want to," Rachel insisted.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Shelby replied with a smile, stepping off the elevator and leading Rachel a short way down the hall.

* * *

><p>Walking into her apartment, Shelby was happy to see her parents and Holly talking in the living room.<p>

"Mom, Dad, Holly," she said, gaining their attention. "This is Rachel…my daughter."

"Geez, Aunt Shelby, you could have at least given us a heads up that she looks so much like you," Holly told her as she stood and walked over to the pair, followed closely by her grandparents.

"She's beautiful, Shelby," Tabitha said to her daughter as her the two cousins talked.

"She and Holly seem to have hit it off," Charles commented, watching the two girls.

"I had a feeling they would," Shelby revealed. "Let's let them chat a bit longer. How was the flight? How's Beth?"

* * *

><p>A short while later, Rachel walked into her own apartment to find that Shelby had apparently already arranged for a bed to be delivered, complete with linens and pillows.<p>

"Your dads asked me to help you get some furniture," Shelby told her. "I found a bed similar to the one you have at their house. I thought we could go shopping for more furniture in the next few days. I recently got a new table and chairs, so I gave you my old ones for the time being. You can pick out different ones if you want."

"I'll think about it," Rachel answered. "Thanks for the bed."

"Your dads paid for it, but you're welcome. Let's go get your things before it gets too late."

Rachel nodded, following her mother back out to the car before she asked her question.

"Have you heard from Jesse?" she wondered.

"I spoke to him yesterday," Shelby answered. "I told him you wanted to see him. He's in California until Saturday visiting some friends, though. I tried to give him your number again, but he said he already had it."

"Thank you for trying. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Maybe he'll call."

"I doubt it, but I guess it could happen."

"You could call him," Shelby suggested. "He might appreciate the effort."

"Maybe," Rachel replied, grabbing a small box and her suitcase before heading back into the building.

* * *

><p>As she was unpacking her things and getting ready to go to bed, Rachel heard her phone ring. Assuming it was just her dads or Kurt calling to check up on her, she didn't bother glancing at the screen before answering.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hello, Rachel."

"Jesse," Rachel whispered, falling back against her bed as she attempted to sit down.

"How are you?"

"Tired. I just got to New York about an hour ago. How are you?"

"Not so bad. I'm in California visiting friends, so at least the weather is nice."

"I know. Shelby told me."

"Did all of your Barbra CDs make it okay?"

Rachel smiled a little at Jesse's comment before she answered his question, falling into an easy banter with him as they continued their conversation.

* * *

><p>The following afternoon, Rachel had just finished her Skype conversation with her dads when she heard a knock at the door.<p>

"Kurt!" she exclaimed when she opened it to reveal her best friend.

"Welcome back to New York!" Kurt replied as he hugged her tightly. "We've missed you. Are you coming back to the diner?"

"No. I'm actually going to be working with Shelby at her daycare. I start Monday."

"So, what's new? Besides your new living and working arrangements, that is." Kurt asked as he followed Rachel into the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

"Shelby and I are going furniture shopping tomorrow. Yesterday, I met my grandparents and cousin, and talked to Jesse."

"Did you just say you talked to Jesse? As in Jesse St. James?"

"Yes."

"It's about time."

In response, Rachel could only gape at him.

"I must be hearing things," she finally managed. "Did you just say 'it's about time'?"

"I have a confession of my own," Kurt said with a sigh. "I admit that I wasn't the guy's biggest fan the first time around, but it takes guts to come back the way he did. He realized his mistake and apologized. He clearly regretted what he did, as he should. I was also dating Blaine by then, so I finally understood what you must have felt when you were with him. Jesse is your equal in every way. He gets you in a way that no one else, not even me, does."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I thought you'd come to your senses. I also didn't want to rock the boat with Finn, especially with Blaine transferring and joining New Directions. I just want you to be happy, Rachel. You were never happier than you were when you were with Jesse. Finn wasn't the only one to see your little conversation at Nationals senior year. You two actually looked very cute together. You looked like more of a couple than you and Finn did, even with the matching outfits."

"So you would be okay with me dating Jesse again?"

"You don't need anyone's approval, Rachel," Kurt reminded her. "If you want to be with Jesse, be with him. As long as he treats you right and you're happy, that's all that matters to me."

"I don't know what's going to happen with us. We literally just started talking again."

"What do you want to happen?"

"I want to be with him, Kurt. I just don't know if he's willing to give me another chance. I haven't exactly treated him very well."

"You never know until you try. Get to know him again, show him you're willing to put just as much effort into a relationship as he is. Now, enough about boys. What do I have to do to get you to let me help you decorate this place?"

Rachel laughed as she hugged her friend.

"All you had to do was ask," she told him. "I have some ideas, though."

"You wouldn't be Rachel Berry if you didn't. Let's hear them."

* * *

><p>A couple of weeks later, Rachel found herself auditioning for a part in a <em>My Fair Lady<em> revival. She didn't expect to get the lead, she was only hoping she'd actually get a chance to sing and not get rejected right away. She had been rehearsing audition pieces with Shelby and even gotten Jesse's input on a couple of them. She hadn't actually seen him yet, but they talked or texted daily.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the building, determined to do whatever it took to get her career back on track, even if it that meant taking a few chorus parts along the way. She knew she'd been extremely lucky to land the lead in _Funny Girl_. She just wished she hadn't thrown it all away for a silly TV show.

* * *

><p>"How was your audition yesterday?" Shelby asked the following day as she and Rachel walked into the building that housed her daycare.<p>

"Well, they actually let me sing something, so I guess that's a plus. They said they'd be in touch. I'm trying not to get my hopes up."

Before she could reply, Shelby heard Rachel's phone ring.

"It's Jesse," Rachel said, clearly surprised.

"Go ahead and take it," Shelby told her. "I'll meet you inside."

Rachel nodded, quickly picking up the call as she walked back outside.

"Jess? Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything's fine," Jesse replied calmly. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you usually don't call me this early."

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yes, well, it's a little late for that," Rachel retorted, eliciting a chuckle of amusement from Jesse.

"Sorry, Rach. I have a question for you and I thought it was better to ask you over the phone than via text."

"This question couldn't wait, I take it?"

"I wanted to ask before I lost my nerve," Jesse confessed.

Rachel felt her heart begin to beat faster as she attempted to continue the conversation as casually as possible.

"What did you want to ask me?" she wondered.

"I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner and a show with me on Friday."

"I'd love to."

"I'll pick you up around five. Is that okay?"

"It sounds perfect. I should get inside before Shelby starts to worry, though. I'll call you when I get home."

"I'm holding you to that," Jesse told her.

"I expect nothing less," Rachel replied before ending the call, quickly sending a text to Kurt before walking back into the building with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>"I take it from the smile on your face that things are better than just okay?" Shelby guessed.<p>

"I have a date with Jesse on Friday," Rachel revealed, doing her best to contain her excitement and nervousness.

"I had a feeling that was going to happen sooner rather than later. You two talk every day."

"I know, but I wasn't sure he'd be willing to give me another chance."

"All I can tell you is that I wouldn't waste this chance if I were you. The two of you have broken each other's and your own hearts enough as it is."

"I don't intend to."

"Good," Shelby told her with a smile. "Now, I could use your help setting up our new stereo. You're supposed to be able to hook up your mp3, phone, or tablet to it."

"Let's try it out, then," Rachel replied, following her mother over to the stereo system in question.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's part 2! Also, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I hope you all enjoy part 2! I will be posting the outfit Rachel wears in this chapter on my tumblr (blk0912 . tumblr . com [no spaces]). I still haven't really decided if I'm going to make this a crossover between Glee and Smash, but the two universes to cross in this chapter and a character from the show does make an appearance.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee (or Smash)

* * *

><p>The night before her date with Jesse, Rachel was looking through the various outfits in her closet to find something to wear when she heard someone come up beside her. Looking over, she noticed her mother standing there.<p>

"Are you okay?" Shelby asked. "You've seemed kind of on-edge all day."

"I'm nervous," Rachel confessed. "What if this doesn't go well?"

"It's just dinner and a show, and this is Jesse we're talking about. The person you hit it off with right away. You two seem comfortable enough with each other on the phone, and I know you've talked to him every day since the night you moved back. Both of you have grown up since the last time you dated, but you don't have any less in common now than you did then."

Rachel was silent for a few moments as she took in Shelby's words and continued looking through her closet. When she broke her silence, Shelby could see the insecurity written on her face.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Shelby replied, hoping she could give her daughter some kind of comfort.

"Do you think Jesse and I can make it work again? That we're really meant to be? That we can make each other happy?"

"Yes, I do. I have faith in the two of you. I know it might not seem like it, but I think you and Jesse are the missing pieces in each other's lives. I sincerely want to see you two work things out. I know you've missed him, and even though he's never admitted it, I think he's missed you, too. I'm not exactly the greatest person to go to for advice in regards to love, but I think you have a great example in your dads and I hope that serves you well."

"I'm excited and nervous about seeing him again."

"That's to be expected," Shelby told her with a small smile. "Now, let's find you an outfit. Did Jesse say what show he's taking you to?"

"No. He's being stubborn," Rachel replied as she began looking through her closet again. "He told me he wants it to be a surprise, but he's confident I'll like it."

"Did he at least specify whether he meant a movie or a Broadway show?"

"It's Jesse. If he meant movie, he'd say movie. This is a Broadway show he's talking about."

"Okay, then about this outfit?" Shelby asked, holding up a blue button-down dress with a brown belt. "You could wear that grey sweater with it, and I think I saw a pair of boots you could wear, too."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it," Rachel agreed before beginning to search the bottom of her closet for the boots Shelby was talking about, happy to have the distraction.

* * *

><p>The next night, as he was walking into Rachel's apartment building, Jesse was surprised to see Shelby waiting for him.<p>

"Hello, Shelby," he greeted as she opened the door for him.

"I won't keep you long, I know Rachel is just as anxious to see you as you are to see her," Shelby replied. "I wanted to give her a couple of extra minutes to get ready, and I wanted to see how you're doing."

"You sound like my grandma and sister," Jesse mock-complained, making Shelby smile a little. "I'm fine. School is going well; I've had a few auditions that I'm waiting to hear back about. I have plenty of food and clothes."

"Good. Your grandmother would probably kill me if I let anything bad happen to you."

"She'll probably be calling you later, just fair warning."

"She calls every Friday," Shelby reminded him.

"True, but she'll probably want details on Rachel. She and Gen were both kind of mad I didn't say much. Considering we weren't on speaking terms at the time, they've never met her."

"I'll be happy to fill them in."

"Thanks. I also have a favor to ask of you, though."

"What is it?"

"There's this song that I've been working on for Dean Tibideaux's class. I'd like your opinion on it. It's kind of late to change it, but I don't think she was overly impressed with my last song choice, so I need to pull it off flawlessly."

"I'd be happy to help. We'll find a time next week to work on it."

Jesse nodded.

"Thanks," he told her with a small smile.

"You're welcome," Shelby replied before pushing him towards the elevator. "Now stop stalling and go get Rachel. I am curious what show you're taking her to, though."

While they waited for the elevator, Jesse pulled the tickets out of his jacket pocket and handed them to his former coach.

"How did you manage to get these? This show has been sold out for months," She asked after reading the name of the show.

"I was talking to my grandma about the show and then a few days later, these arrived in the mail. She apparently knows the producer, who was able to get a couple of last-minute tickets," Jesse answered as he put the tickets back in his pocket and followed Shelby into the elevator. "I'm hoping Rachel likes it."

"I think she will. If anything, she'll at least enjoy getting to spend time with you."

"I hope so."

"Have fun and be safe," Shelby told him as they arrived at the selected floor. "I'll keep my fingers crossed for you."

Jesse nodded, trying to remember to breathe as he followed her down the hall. When he arrived at Rachel's door, he took a deep breath before raising his hand to knock.

* * *

><p>Inside her apartment, Rachel was checking her hair and make-up once more when she heard the knock at her door. Taking a deep breath of her own, she quickly slipped on the sweater and grabbed her purse before walking to the door. When she opened the door and saw Jesse standing there, looking as handsome as ever, she couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face.<p>

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," Jesse replied as he returned her smile. "You look beautiful."

Rachel looked down as she felt herself blush.

"Thank you," she responded, taking the keys off of the table near the door and stepping into the hallway beside Jesse. Taking the arm he offered, she opted to change the subject. "So, what are the chances of convincing you to tell me where you're taking me?"

"I'll compromise," Jesse replied as they approached the elevator. "I'll give you hints and you can guess."

"I suppose I should take what I can get, since I know you won't be telling me the name of the show until we get to the theater," Rachel grumbled, eliciting a chuckle from Jesse as he nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>"Just look at them," Tabitha said with a sigh as she watched Rachel and Jesse. "You can just tell they're in love."<p>

"Mom, please," Shelby replied as she set Beth in her booster chair.

"You can't tell me you don't see it."

"Of course I see it."

"Then why did you make him leave her in the first place?"

Shelby sighed, setting Beth's food on the table before addressing her mother.

"I already explained everything to you, Mom. Can we please not go through this again?"

"I'm sorry; I can just see how much they've missed each other. I understand how much they both must want their relationship to work this time."

"I know, and I'm sure Rachel will appreciate it, but she and Jesse are the ones in the relationship, not you or me. They need to figure things out for themselves. I'll tell you what, I'll give your number to Rachel and you two can gush over Jesse and their relationship all you want."

"Their relationship takes you back, doesn't it?" Tabitha guessed as she studied her daughter's face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shelby replied, turning around to begin putting dishes in the dishwasher.

"Shelby…"

Turning back around, Shelby held up a hand before she spoke again.

"Don't," she said. "We are _not_ talking about this. I _can't_ talk about it."

"Okay," Tabitha agreed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Shelby nodded, turning back around to finish her task, not wanting to see the sympathy in her mother's eyes.

* * *

><p>Walking into the lobby of the apartment building, Rachel frowned when she noticed that it had begun to rain.<p>

"What's wrong?" Jesse asked, noticing Rachel's smile turn into a frown.

"It's raining," she answered, pointing outside.

"We don't have to worry about that."

"What did you do?"

Jesse feigned innocence as he answered her question with one of his own.

"What do you mean, what did I do?"

"You know very well what I mean, Jesse. I repeat: what did you do?"

"I rented a car. I wanted to be prepared in case something like this happened."

"Just please tell me it's not a limo."

"It's not a limo, I swear," Jesse replied. "A limo would be a bit much for a first date, don't you think?"

"I never know with you. You have a habit of going a bit overboard sometimes," Rachel answered with a laugh.

"You've never complained before."

"I'm not complaining. I'm just making an observation."

"Good," Jesse responded before leading Rachel out to the car, still silently hoping nothing would happen to ruin the evening.

* * *

><p>Once they had gotten seated in the car, Jesse glanced over at Rachel to see her biting her lip and looking down.<p>

"Rach?" he asked, getting her attention.

"I'm sorry," she said with a small smile. "I was just thinking."

"Are you going to tell me what about?"

"About the night you went to prom with Sam, Mercedes, and me. He gave you a hard time about renting a limo because we were doing the whole prom on a budget thing and you just said that he didn't specify whose budget it needed to be within. That was the best part of the night, though, aside from dancing with you. I'd never gotten to ride in a limo before…or since."

"I still remember the look on your face when I said that, too," Jesse replied with a laugh. "Mercedes just looked shocked, Sam was still kind of pissed at me for showing him up, but you just kind of looked at them like 'what did you expect?'"

"They about killed _me_ after that, too."

"Sorry."

"No, you're not."

"Okay, I'm not, but only because you enjoyed yourself for at least a little while that night."

"Am I going to enjoy myself tonight?" Rachel teasingly asked.

"That's the plan," Jesse replied in the same teasing tone, though Rachel had a feeling he was actually sincere.

"It's kind of nice to have someone else do the planning for a change, to know that everything will be taken care of and I don't have to worry about it."

"I wanted everything to be perfect for tonight. The weather didn't cooperate, but you're here and you seem to be enjoying yourself so far, so I think it's headed in the right direction."

Leaning over, Rachel pressed a kiss to Jesse's cheek before she spoke again.

"I'm just happy to be here with you."

"Me, too," Jesse replied before changing the subject. "So…do you still want to guess which restaurant we're going to?"

* * *

><p>As soon as they had been seated at the restaurant and chosen their respective meals, Rachel began to pepper Jesse with questions about the show.<p>

"I thought you said it was nice to have everything planned for you?" Jesse teased, laughing when Rachel proceeded to playfully hit him on the arm.

"I _do_ like it," she retorted. "I'd just like to know what kind of show we're seeing."

"It's a musical. I haven't heard you mention it, so I don't think you've seen it. It's based on the life of someone famous."

"Well that rules out _Wicked_."

"Haven't you already seen that one like twenty times?"

"Not that many, but you're one to talk. Besides, I haven't seen it with the current actress playing Elphaba. I happen to like seeing the different interpretations of the character."

"We also haven't seen it together," Jesse pointed out.

"That's true. Maybe we can do that sometime?"

Jesse did his best to hide the way his heart soared at Rachel's indication that she wanted to go out again sometime.

"I'd like that," he told her with a smile, unaware that his words had the same effect on her.

* * *

><p>After dinner, as they were waiting for the car, Jesse was surprised when Rachel reached over and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together before she pulled him over into a corner of the waiting area.<p>

"Everything okay?" he asked, searching her face for clues.

"Everything has been perfect," Rachel replied with a smile. "I just wanted to make sure you knew that I…I don't really know how to say this…I want it to be just you and me, Jess."

"It is just you and me, Rach."

"I don't mean just tonight. I mean I don't want to date anyone else…and I don't want you to, either."

"You mean you want us to be in a monogamous relationship."

"Yes. I know that might be moving a little fast, but I don't care. We've wasted enough time."

"I agree."

"You do?"

Jesse chuckled as he slid his arms around Rachel's waist to pull her closer.

"Yes. I was actually hoping to convince you of that very thing by the end of the night. My plan was to dazzle you with dinner and a show, and then convince you that we should give our romantic relationship another shot."

"I knew the moment I saw you again that this is what I wanted. I was going to tell you at the end of the night, too, but I decided I didn't want to wait any longer."

"I'm glad you decided to tell me now," Jesse replied, pulling her closer to hug her tightly. "I missed your drama."

Rachel smiled as she slid her arms around Jesse's waist, returning his hug.

"I missed yours, too," she told him, her smile growing when she heard him laugh.

"Come on; let's finish this conversation in the car," Jesse said as he saw the car pull up. "I have to give you your ticket, too."

* * *

><p>"So, what's the name of the show?" Rachel asked once she and Jesse had gotten settled in the car.<p>

"You'll have to see for yourself," Jesse replied, pulling the tickets out of his pocket and handing one to her.

When she read the name of the show, Rachel could only look back and forth between her boyfriend and the ticket he'd just handed her.

"How did you get these?" she asked when she found her voice again.

"My grandma knows the producer. They had some seats open up, so she managed to get me a couple. In fact, she told me to find you and use the infamous St. James charm to convince you to go with me."

"You told your grandmother about me?"

"She made me tell her everything. My sister, too. They kind of double-teamed me."

"I'm glad you were able to re-connect with them," Rachel told him.

"I am, too," Jesse confessed. "It kind of felt like a huge weight had been lifted. They both visit pretty much monthly, and I'm expected at my grandmother's every Christmas."

"Is she why you moved back to Akron?"

"Sort of. I just felt very lost and unsure of where I was heading. I wasn't doing as well as I should in my classes, and I kind of felt like I had no one to talk to. My advisor at NYADA is actually the one who suggested I reach out to Shelby and my grandmother, who helped me get everything in place to be able to take a year off."

"So why did you move back to Akron? Why not just stay here?"

"I felt like I needed to start from square one, so to speak. I needed to rediscover what made me want to go into musical theater in the first place. I wanted to un-tarnish Vocal Adrenaline's reputation, too, so when the coaching position opened up, I jumped at the chance to do it. As the former captain who led them to four simultaneous National championships, they didn't hesitate to hire me. It also meant I got to keep an eye on you."

"You kept an eye on me?"

"Sort of. I got occasional updates. One of them was actually the reason I even ran into you the day of Nationals last year."

"Noah," Rachel guessed, knowing he was one of only two people she'd told where she was going and the only one who would have told Jesse.

"Yeah. He approached me after Finn and I got kicked out of prom your junior year. He offered to keep an eye on you, make sure you got to New York, and give me updates. He also said something about having to pretend to be Team Finchel when he was really Team St. Berry."

Rachel smiled as she thought of her longtime friend, making a mental note to call him the next day.

"I guess I owe him a 'thank you', then."

"I know I certainly do."

"Apparently Kurt is on our side now, too," Rachel revealed.

"Really," Jesse replied, not bothering to hide his surprise.

"Yes. He helped me decorate my apartment and we got to talking. He said he didn't understand until he met Blaine and they started dating."

"What about your other friends?"

"I think Quinn has secretly always been on your side, she was never a big fan of Finn. Santana learned to tolerate Finn, but deep down, I think she was still mad at him about what he did to her, which I don't blame her for. Blaine has always been in the 'whatever makes me happy' boat, but Finn wasn't exactly welcoming to him when he joined New Directions, which I know you can understand."

"One of the few times Schuester actually acted like he knew what he was doing."

"Sometimes I did wonder if he actually didn't know what he was doing or if he was just lazy."

"I'd say a combination, favoring on lazy. He didn't know how to handle conflict, either, so that didn't help."

"I actually secretly wished the Troubletones would have won Sectionals so Shelby would become our coach," Rachel confessed.

"Speaking of that particular competition, what exactly happened to get you suspended?"

"I stuffed the ballot box."

"You didn't."

"I did. I was originally running against Kurt for senior class president, but then I took myself out of the race and decided to help him instead. Needless to say that didn't exactly work out according to plan."

"You always did have a tendency to over-do things when you were trying to help."

"My dads would say it's an endearing quality."

"It is," Jesse assured her with a smile. "It's a very Rachel Berry thing to do. You'll have to fill me in on the rest of your antics later since we're here and we should go find our seats. My grandmother also made me promise I'd let Ilene know I was here, so I need to find her, too."

"Ilene…as in Ilene Rand?" Rachel asked as she watched Jesse get out of the car.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Jesse replied, holding out his hand to her.

Rachel took Jesse's hand and stood beside him before she spoke again.

"No, not at all."

"Liar."

"Okay, I'm nervous. Ilene is the one who gave Ivy and Karen their chances, well one of them anyway. She knows talent."

"Exactly. Except we're not here for an audition, Rach, so you can relax."

"Easy for you to say."

Jesse chuckled as laced his fingers with Rachel's before beginning to lead her into the theater.

"I'll be by your side all night, I promise. I'm just doing my grandmother a favor. I figured it was the least I could do in exchange for her getting me these tickets."

"I'm holding you to that."

"I expect nothing less."

* * *

><p>Walking into the theater, Jesse was pleasantly surprised to see Ilene standing nearby talking to some of the others who had come to see the show tonight. Once she had finished her conversation, Jesse stepped closer, gaining her attention.<p>

"Ms. Rand," he began. "My name is Jesse St. James. I'm Jacqueline St. James' grandson…"

"It's nice to finally meet you," she replied with a smile. "Your grandmother speaks very highly of you."

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

"She's proud of you, be nice," Rachel admonished, playfully hitting his arm as she spoke.

"Jacqueline said she was hoping you'd bring someone with you tonight, I'll be happy to report that her wish came true. As long as that someone is who she has been hoping it would be," Ilene revealed.

"I'm sure it is," Jesse acknowledged. "Ms. Rand, this is my girlfriend, Rachel Berry. Rachel, Ilene Rand, the producer of this show and friend of my grandmother."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Rachel."

"It's nice to finally meet you, too, Ms. Rand," Rachel replied.

"I'm so sorry to cut this short, but it's a big night and I see some other people I promised to make time for. I hope you both enjoy the show," Ilene apologized before walking over to another group of people that had gathered nearby.

"You okay?" Jesse asked once Ilene had walked away.

"I'll be fine, I just need a minute to calm my racing heart," Rachel replied.

"Let's go find our seats, maybe being able to sit down will help."

Rachel nodded, gripping Jesse's hand tightly as she followed him into the theater.

* * *

><p>"So, what did you think?" Jesse asked as he and Rachel waited for the car after the show.<p>

"I think this entire night has been amazing," Rachel responded. "Thank you."

"You deserve it."

"I don't want this night to end yet."

"Who says it has to? You don't have to work tomorrow and neither do I."

"No, but I promised Holly we'd go shopping and then I have vocal lessons with Shelby in the afternoon."

"When did you meet Holly?"

"The first night I got here, actually. I met her and my grandmother-Shelby's mom. Holly and I kind of hit it off right away. She and Kurt helped me decorate my apartment, and we've had lunch a couple of times."

"I kind of figured you would," Jesse admitted.

"Wait a minute…you know Holly?"

"Yeah. She was in Vocal Adrenaline her freshman year, and she usually attended at least a couple of the various parties Shelby threw for the team even after she transferred."

"Do you know who Dominic is to her, then? Every time he's mentioned, she gets sad and changes the subject. Shelby said Holly asked her not to say anything."

"He was also in Vocal Adrenaline, one of the few who didn't participate in the whole egging fiasco. He and Holly dated for a couple of years, but the distance proved to be too much for them and they broke up. I'm surprised they haven't gotten back together, honestly. Dominic has been back in New York for a few months now, though I don't know if he's seen her."

"Why did he leave?"

"He was offered a job in California and he decided to take it, followed by another one in a dance tour."

"I guess we're not the only ones who took a different path to getting here than we thought we would," Rachel commented.

"I guess not," Jesse agreed as they got into the car. "We're here now, though. You and I are back together. Unless you've changed your mind about that…"

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

"I think I can handle that."

Rachel laughed, reaching for Jesse's hand again as they continued talking.

* * *

><p>A short while later, after walking Rachel to her door, Jesse pulled her into his arms once more.<p>

"Have I convinced you to go out on another date with me?" he asked teasingly.

"Well, I think it's kind of required of me as your girlfriend," Rachel replied as she slid her arms around his neck. "However, I think I could be convinced to do so willingly."

"Oh really? How might I do that?"

"You're Jesse St. James, I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Yes, and you're Rachel Berry," he retorted, grinning at her as he pulled her closer and then bent his head to capture her lips with his.

In response, Rachel tightened her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss. She was happy to have him back in her life, that he had agreed to give their relationship another chance, and she was determined to not mess either of those things up. He was her other half and she had no intention of letting him walk out of her life again.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after reluctantly saying goodnight to Jesse and making him promise to text her when he got home, Rachel began thinking about what he had said about Holly and Dominic. Even though she and the older girl had just recently met and begun getting to know each other, she was convinced that Holly missed Dominic just like she, herself, had missed Jesse. Making a mental note to try and get more information out of either Holly, Shelby, or Jesse, possibly even all three, she quickly began her nightly routine. For the first time since arriving back in New York, she felt like she could actually save her career and accomplish the goal she'd had since she was a child: to be a successful Broadway star. She also finally had hope that another wish, the one only a select few knew about, had finally come true as well: to find the boy Mr. Schue had found the words to describe what seemed like so long ago. The one who would love everything about her, even the things she hated.<p>

* * *

><p>Anyone want to take a stab at what musical Jesse took Rachel to? Who's up for part 3?<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Here's chapter 3! The answer to the musical that Jesse takes Rachel to will be revealed later in the chapter as well, so those of you who guessed can see who got it correct :) Hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or Smash.

* * *

><p>The next morning, as she was approaching her cousin's apartment, Holly was startled by the ringing of her phone. Shifting the Styrofoam cup holder to her other hand, she dug the phone out of her pocket, her heart beat increasing as she read the name on the screen. Ignoring the longing she felt, she decided to let the call go to voicemail. She heard the ding of her message alert as she pressed the button to buzz her cousin's apartment. Shoving the call and the subsequent unheard message to the back of her mind, she entered the building and quickly made her way upstairs.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hi," Rachel greeted as she opened the door. Taking a look at Holly's face, she was immediately concerned. "Are you okay?"<p>

"I don't know," Holly answered with a sigh. "I brought coffee. Is Kurt here yet?"

"He just got here. Come in. Let's have coffee and chat. Shelby brought over some muffins, too."

Holly nodded, following her cousin into the apartment.

"You look happy," she commented.

"She has good reason to be," Kurt said before Rachel could say anything.

"Long story, short, Jesse and I worked things out," Rachel revealed. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I want to know what's going on with you."

"You do?"

"Of course. You're my family, and I like to think we're friends."

"But we haven't even known each other that long," Holly reminded her as she set the coffee down on the table. She was surprised when Kurt simply chuckled.

"Take it from someone who knows," he told her, "Rachel actually has a big heart. She can be very driven and sometimes that can cloud her judgment a little, but I think we're all guilty of that. Once she and I stopped fighting, I realized that she was someone who could be a really great friend, if given the chance. She's one of the few people to stick by me. She even got herself suspended for me."

"I have the feeling there's an amusing story behind that particular incident," Holly decided, seeing Rachel sigh and roll her eyes while Kurt simply smiled at her.

"There is, and I'll be happy to fill you in about that, too. Later, though. Right now, I want to know what's going on with you."

* * *

><p>After leaving Holly a message, Dominic's disappointment in not being able to talk to her was somewhat lifted when he recognized an old friend walk past him and into the nearby café. Following the same path his friend had just taken, Dominic entered the café himself.<p>

"Jesse?" he asked, wanting to make sure he had the right person before saying anything.

When the person turned around at the name, Dominic knew he had been correct.

"Dominic," Jesse said with a smile upon recognizing his friend. "Are you back in New York to stay or just to visit?"

"I'm here to stay this time," Dominic answered. "I'm currently living in a hotel while I look for a place, but that's getting kind of expensive."

"You should have just called me when you got back to town. Andi moved in with Nate a couple of months ago and I haven't been able to find a suitable roommate since."

"Those two are still together?"

"Yeah. They got engaged last week. Nate asked me to look at the ring before he proposed, since Andi and I are best friends and all."

"You know, we were all surprised you two never dated. Then she got together with Nate and you met Rachel."

"Andi is like my sister. She nags me just as much as my real one."

"At least she doesn't hit you."

"Why did Melina hit you?" Jesse asked, trying not to laugh as he pictured the shorter blonde-haired girl he'd seen various times over the years hitting the brown-haired boy in front of him.

"Because I didn't call her the minute I got back to town. She's weird like that."

"Gen doesn't hit me-she just threatens to call our grandma if I don't do what she wants."

"How's that going, by the way? I know you said you re-connected with them just over a year ago."

"It's actually been great," Jesse revealed. "They might be a little overbearing sometimes, but they mean well….and honestly, it's nice to have the support."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Come on, let's get some coffee and then I'll show you the place. I need to keep myself occupied this morning, anyway. Rachel, Holly, and Kurt are going shopping."

"Did you just say Rachel, Holly, and Kurt?" Dominic asked, not sure he heard his friend correctly.

Jesse laughed as he nodded, clasping his friend on the shoulder as he spoke again.

"Yes. I'll fill you in on the way back to the apartment."

* * *

><p>"I just have one question," Kurt said once Holly had finished her story.<p>

"What's that?" the older girl wondered.

"Do you still have feelings for this Dominic guy?"

"Yes, but…"

"No 'buts'. Is he currently seeing anyone?"

"Not to my knowledge. I'm sure Aunt Shelby would have said something if he was."

"Then I think you should give him another chance, if that's what he wants."

"He just said he wants to talk."

"So let him talk," Rachel suggested. "It worked out for Jesse and me."

"You could at least start with listening to his message," Kurt added.

"What if he says he just wants to be friends?" Holly asked.

"I really don't think he'd be making such an effort to get in touch with you if that's all he wanted."

"I agree with Kurt. Listen to the message and go from there. Take some time to think about it."

"Meet me outside in five minutes?" Holly asked them a few seconds later.

"We'll go say goodbye to Shelby and then we'll meet you," Rachel agreed, watching her cousin leave the apartment before turning back to her best friend. "I guess we added another drama queen to the group, huh?"

Kurt chuckled as he and Rachel stood.

"We added another drama king, too. We can't forget about Jesse. Like you, he may have grown up since high school, but neither of you will ever stop being dramatic," he reminded her as he followed her across the hall to Shelby's apartment.

"I guess we were bound to have our loves be just as dramatic as we are," Rachel theorized, earning a nod of agreement from Kurt.

"It keeps life interesting," he replied just before Shelby opened the door and invited them both inside, effectively cutting off the conversation.

* * *

><p>Outside the apartment building, Holly took a seat on a nearby bench as she took her phone out of her pocket. Biting her lip, she debated whether or not to listen to the message when she suddenly remembered a conversation she'd had with her grandmother about love. She had been debating whether or not to try contacting Dominic, wondering if it was worth the risk, though she hadn't told her grandmother this at the time. Tabitha had simply smiled at her and said that true love wasn't always easy, but it was always worth it.<p>

She had also mentioned something about knowing it was true love because the person just instinctively knows what you need, even if you don't recognize it yourself at the time. Dominic had always seemed to know just what she needed. He never berated her for being dramatic, even if he thought she was blowing things out of proportion. Taking a deep breath, Holly made her decision, pressing the play button and bringing the phone up to her ear to listen to the message, wanting to hear what Dominic wanted to say as much as she wanted to hear his voice again.

* * *

><p>When she and Kurt walked outside, they saw Holly sitting silently on a nearby bench.<p>

"Ready to go?" Rachel asked, gaining her attention.

"I am," Holly replied with a smile. "I also arranged to have a special guest meet us for lunch, I hope you don't mind."

"Who's the special guest?" Kurt wondered.

"Our grandmother. She goes back to Ohio tomorrow and she wanted to see us once more before she left."

"Do you think she'd like my dads?" Rachel asked her cousin as the three began to walk.

"I don't know them, but from what Aunt Shelby has said and from what you've told me, I'd say yes. I'd like to meet them the next time they're in town, though."

"I think that can be arranged. They're interested in meeting you, too. I'm just not sure when they'll be here. Dad was trying to work out the time off last I heard."

"Just keep me posted," Holly told her before changing the subject. "You said you had more questions about Aunt Shelby's side of the family, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to be rude," Rachel admitted.

"I'm interested, too, so feel free to ask away," Kurt assured her. "I just have one condition."

"Yes, you can choose an outfit for me."

"How do you know that's what he had in mind?" Holly wondered.

"We're going shopping. It's kind of a given with Kurt. I can't really, object, though. He hasn't picked out something completely unflattering since sophomore year and that was before we became friends."

"I get the feeling there's some kind of story behind that."

"There is," Kurt answered. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Of course."

Kurt smiled as he stepped between the two cousins and began his story, which led the three to exchange stories about their lives in high school while they made their way to the mall for their day of shopping.

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think?" Jesse asked after he'd shown Dominic the apartment.<p>

"It's a nice place, but I expected nothing less. If you're sure you want a roommate, I'd be happy to fill that vacancy," Dominic answered.

"I wouldn't have offered it to you if I wasn't sure about it, but regardless, welcome to your new home. You can re-decorate the bedroom, by the way. I didn't bother to do it myself once Andi moved out because I figured it wasn't worth it if someone else was going to come along and re-decorate it for themselves anyway."

"Makes sense."

"Does Shelby know you're back in town?"

"Yeah, but I haven't seen her yet. She was nice enough to help me get a job while I try to find a part in a show, so I should probably stop by and thank her at some point."

"Where did you get a job?"

"Shelby said she knew the owners of the dance studio that's in the same building as her day care. She got me an interview and they offered me the job, so I took it," Dominic answered, immediately becoming confused when Jesse began to chuckle and shake his head. "What?"

"Holly teaches in that same studio four days a week. I'm going to guess Shelby left out that particular detail."

"That would be correct. I'm only teaching there part-time, do you really think there's a high possibility that I'll run into Holly?"

"I don't know. Honestly. I think Shelby is just trying to make up for what she feels like are her mistakes and this is the best way she knows how."

"She didn't come between Holly and me. Not like she did with you and Rachel."

"No, but she is the one who mentioned the job that made you leave New York in the first place. I can see where Holly might have placed some of the blame on Shelby for what happened and how Shelby might agree with that particular assessment."

Dominic sighed as he took a seat on the couch.

"Remind me again why I decided to date our former coach's niece."

Jesse chuckled again as he joined his friend on the couch.

"Same reason I decided to date her daughter. You found your equal and that was that. You just learn to go with it. At least this time Shelby's heart is in the right place…and she's not our coach anymore. Although when I'm in Dean Tibideaux's class, I sometimes feel like I'm in Vocal Adrenaline all over again."

"I've heard that from a couple of our other former teammates. Tell me about NYADA and this Dean Tibideaux person. I never auditioned there, so I've never met her."

Jesse nodded, knowing his friend was both genuinely interested and in need of a distraction. Happy to have another friend in the city, especially one he wanted to introduce Rachel to, he readily agreed to Dominic's request.

* * *

><p>Following a morning full of shopping, Holly, Rachel, and Kurt met Tabitha in the food court.<p>

"Hi, Grandma," Holly greeted as she hugged the older woman.

"When you said you were going shopping, you weren't kidding," Tabitha said with a laugh as she took in the number of bags the trio was holding.

"We may have gone a little overboard," Rachel admitted, returning her smile.

"Blame the sales," Kurt decided, causing the other three to laugh.

"Do you really have to leave tomorrow?" Rachel inquired after they had made introductions and found a table.

"I'm afraid so, darling," Tabitha answered. "I love to visit everyone here, and now having you here gives me another reason to do that, but my home is in Florida."

"You should bring Grandpa with you next time you visit," Holly suggested.

"He's already starting to plan the trip. He wants to see you, and Shelby and Beth, and he wants to meet Rachel."

"Have you two ever considered moving here to New York?" Kurt wondered. "I mean, you have a daughter and three granddaughters here."

"We've been talking about getting a small place here for when we visit, but we like Florida. The warmth is definitely a nice change during the winter."

"If you got a place here, you could stay longer, right?" Rachel asked.

"That's the plan," Tabitha replied before turning to Kurt and changing the subject. "So, Kurt, how do you know Rachel?"

"We went to school together, but it wasn't until junior year that we really became friends," Kurt answered.

"We sang a duet together and the rest is history," Rachel added.

"That seems to be a pattern with you, cousin," Holly commented, earning a confused look from Tabitha.

"Jesse and I sort of literally sang our hellos. Although this was _after_ he'd literally stolen the song book out of my hands and walked away with it."

"So how did you end up singing your duet with Kurt, then?" Tabitha wanted to know.  
>Kurt smiled as he began the story of how he and Rachel had ended up singing together, which then led to them becoming friends. It had been the beginning of a somewhat better time in his life, and even though he and Rachel fought and bickered like the siblings they often wished they were, he wouldn't trade her friendship for anything.<p>

* * *

><p>After spending the day shopping with Rachel and Kurt, Holly was exhausted by the time she got home. Thankfully, her roommate was back in Ohio for the weekend, so she had the place to herself. At least she was thankful until she realized she'd forgotten to pick up food. She was searching for a take-out menu when her phone began to ring. Glancing at the screen, she wasn't entirely surprised to see that her mother was the one calling.<p>

"Hi, Mom," Holly greeted as she continued to search for the menu she wanted.

"I just wanted to see if you were home from your shopping excursion yet."

"Just got home. Tasha is in Ohio for the weekend, which you already know, so I have the place to myself."

"You don't sound happy about that."

"I'd be happier if I had remembered to get food last night. I guess take-out isn't so bad, but I wanted something faster."

"How's school going? Don't you have finals coming up?"

"School is fine…and don't remind me about finals. They're evil," Holly immediately replied, smiling when she heard her mother laugh.

"If you ever want to graduate, you need to pass your finals," Sara reminded her daughter.

"I know, Mom. That doesn't make them any less evil, though."

"All right, well, I'll let you get back to your take-out decision. I'm glad you got home safely."

"Love you, too, Mom," Holly responded, smiling when she heard her mother laughing as they hung up.

A few minutes later, when she finally found the desired menu a few minutes later, she also found something that made her replace the smile with a frown. After quickly placing her order, she took out the rectangular box and set it on the counter, debating whether or not to open it.

"It's just a stupid necklace. It's not that big of a deal," she muttered as she continued her debate. "Our relationship never meant much anyway."

* * *

><p>Once she had set her bags in her apartment, Rachel immediately went across the hall to her mother's apartment to let her know she was back. She was also secretly hoping Shelby had either made or bought something for dinner, since she'd stayed out longer than she planned and she didn't feel much like cooking herself.<p>

"Hi, Rachel," Shelby greeted with a smile as she opened the door and saw her older daughter standing there.

"I just wanted to let you know I was back," Rachel told her.

"I appreciate it. Did you text your dads, too?"

"Yes."

"You know you don't always have to check in with me, right?"

"I know, but I also wanted to say thank you again for rescheduling our vocal lessons."

"Did you have fun today?"

"I did."

"Then I'd say it was a good call. Would you like to come in? I've got some leftover pasta I could warm up for you if you'd like."

"I'd like that," Rachel replied with a smile, following her mother into the apartment.

* * *

><p>"I filled the vacant roommate position," Jesse announced as he and Rachel talked on the phone later that night.<p>

"Really? Who?"

"His name is Dominic Edwards. He's a friend from high school."

"He's also Holly's ex-boyfriend. You know that, don't you?"

"I do, but he's still my friend, and he's one of the few people on my list of acceptable roommates. You're at the top of that list, of course, but I think that's moving a little fast, even for us."

"That's a given," Rachel agreed. "I'm honored to have the top spot, though."

"As you should be."  
>"So Dominic is really here to stay, then?"<p>

"It seems that way. You know he wasn't a part of the whole egging incident, right? He and Andi were both out sick that week…"

"I know. You told me like the second night we started talking again, when we rehashed everything in our past."

"I just wanted to make sure. I also wanted to run an idea past you."

"What is it?"

"I was thinking we should make Friday nights our official date night."

"You only want to see me one day a week?" Rachel asked, feigning hurt.

"No. I'd love to see you every day, honestly, but I mean like one night a week where we go out and do something together. It doesn't have to be Fridays necessarily, just a change of scenery for a night."

"I'd like that. I'm just not sure how you're going to top getting last-minute tickets to a special performance of _Bombshell_ with the original cast, including Ivy Lynn as Marilyn."

"I'm sure I can think of something. I am Jesse St. James, after all."

"That's very true," Rachel agreed, smiling as she and Jesse continued their conversation.

Talking with Jesse had made her realize how much she missed having someone in her life who just _knew_ her. He had made an effort to learn everything about her then and he was doing it again now. This time around, she was determined to show him that she was doing the same. If they were going to really have a shot at a future together, they were both going to have to put in equal effort. It also helped that, as Jesse had pointed out multiple times, they no longer had rival show choirs to worry about and they both had real friends in their lives now.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** First of all, I would like toMathildegive a big shout out to **MissRe**, who has been a faithful reviewer. I appreciate those reviews more than I can tell you, so thank you. She also caught my spelling mistake in chapter 2, which has now been fixed (Ilene should actually have been Eileen. I knew something seemed off, but I couldn't figure it out. Now I know. So thanks again).

I hope you all are still enjoying the story. Also, if you haven't read _A New Beginning_ or aren't familiar with the characters, I'd suggest at least checking out the family trees associated with the story since a few of them will be making appearances here. I'm hoping to bring some other glee characters in, too, but we'll see.

**ETA:** also thanks to my guest reviewer, Mathilde, for the French correction. I don't speak it, so if Google translate incorrect, I honestly wouldn't know. The change hhas been made :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee.

* * *

><p>A few days later, as she was leaving the dance studio to meet Rachel downstairs, Holly glanced at her watch and realized she was already running late.<p>

"Great. Rachel is going to kill me," she muttered, not paying attention to where she was going as she shoved open the door to the lobby. It was only when she fell to the ground and her bag fell open after running into them that she realized someone had been on the other side.

"Holly! Are you okay?" Rachel asked, rushing over to her cousin's side, having seen the collision.

"I'm fine aside from the fact that most of my stuff is currently on the floor instead of in my bag where it belongs," she replied. "What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting downstairs."

"Shelby needed my help a little longer than she anticipated, so I was running late. I tried calling you, but it went straight to voicemail, so I thought I'd check to see if you were even finished with your class yet."

"You know, I thought by now you would have learned to watch where you're going," the person Holly had run into grumbled. "Instead you've just gotten better at knocking people over."

"Hi, Dominic," Rachel greeted, having met him just the night before when Jesse hosted a musical movie night.

"Hi, Rachel," Dominic replied, stopped from saying anything else by Holly's outburst.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she demanded.

"I work here, thank you very much."

"How? Since when?"

"You can thank your aunt, and I started yesterday."

"Great. I think I'll go do just that."

"Holly…" Dominic started, his sentence cut short by Holly once more.

"Don't. I got your message, but it doesn't make up for the fact that _you_ decided _I_ wasn't worth it anymore. So I'm sorry for knocking you over, but you can go to hell," she snapped before she quickly gathered her things and stood, walking out the door and letting it slam behind her.

"Well, that answers my question about whether or not she's still pissed at me," Dominic said with a sigh, earning him a sympathetic look from Rachel.

"I'll talk to her," she promised. "Right now, I think I should probably go make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

With another sigh, Dominic stood and grabbed his bag before once more attempting to go into the back. He knew that he had messed things up with Holly, but he was determined to make them right, to make it up to her.

* * *

><p>"Holly, what's the matter?" Shelby asked, immediately concerned when she saw the angry look on her niece's face along with the tears.<p>

"How could you?" she asked. "Why did it have to be _that_ dance studio? There's a million of them here! Why not one of those?!"

"You ran into Dominic, I take it."

"Literally," Rachel added as she entered the room and walked over to them.

"First of all, Dominic was my student for four years and I know he's a very talented dancer. I helped him find job openings and told him he could use me as a reference. That job was open to anyone and I wasn't actually the one who made the decision to offer him the job," Shelby informed her. "So if you're going to be mad at someone, be mad at them."

"Jesse said Dominic didn't even know you were working there until after he'd already accepted the job. He was actually hoping to avoid what happened earlier," Rachel revealed.

Whirling on her cousin, Holly's fury seemed to increase.

"Dominic and I aren't you and Jesse, okay?! You have no idea how much it _hurts_ to feel like your heart is being ripped out of your chest!"

"Actually, I do, and for the record, I know you and Dominic aren't me and Jesse. I never said you were. If all you're going to do is stand here and insult me, then you can leave and never speak to me again, because I'm done keeping people like that in my life."

"I didn't do this to hurt you, Holly," Shelby told her. "I'll call you a cab. Rachel, would you mind staying with Beth for a minute?"

"Of course," Rachel replied, walking over to the child who was currently bopping her head to the sound of the music coming from the nearby CD player while Shelby and Holly walked outside.

* * *

><p>"I didn't mean to hurt Rachel's feelings…or yours," Holly said softly as she followed her aunt out into the hall.<p>

"I know," Shelby replied, rubbing her niece's arm as she spoke. "I also know there's a lot going through your mind right now, but that's no reason to lash out at anyone-Dominic, Rachel, or myself. I understand that you're angry and frustrated, but I'm going to be honest here, Holly. Dominic is the only one who can answer your questions. You two need to talk. Whether you decide to get back together or not, you need answers before you can move forward."

Holly nodded, fighting back tears as she watched Shelby hail a cab for her.

"Thanks, Aunt Shelby," she said as she slid into the cab.

Shelby gave her niece a sympathetic smile before taking some money out of her pocket and handing it to Holly.

"This should cover the cost of the cab. I want you to call me when you get home," she instructed.

"I will," Holly promised.

Shutting the door, Shelby stepped back and watched the cab drive away before walking back into the building.

* * *

><p>"Where did my mom go?" Beth asked as she watched Shelby leave the room.<p>

"Holly needed her help with something," Rachel answered. "She'll be back in a few minutes."

"Can I color?"

"I think that would be okay. Princesses, right?"

Beth smiled and nodded, happy to be able to color for a little while longer before they had to leave.

"I wasn't sure which princess book you wanted, so I brought them both," Rachel informed her as she took a seat across the table.

"The blue one," Beth answered.

"You go ahead and color, I'm going to start cleaning up."

* * *

><p>A short while later, as she reached her apartment door, Holly was grateful to find it already unlocked. While it meant Tasha was home and would likely want to know what happened, she didn't have to try to fumble with her keys again to unlock this door, too.<p>

"Holly?" Tasha called as she heard the door open. After taking a good look at her friend and roommate, she was immediately concerned. "What happened?"

"I ran into Dominic, Literally," Holly answered with a sigh, letting her bag fall to the floor and stuffing her keys in her coat pocket before letting that fall, too.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know what there is to talk about. I'm hungry and I'm tired."

"I think I can probably throw something together quick, if you want."

Holly eyed her roommate warily.

"Since when do you cook?" she asked.

"I know how to make a few things," Tasha replied.

"I'm too hungry to care right now. Just make it quick. I'm going to go take a shower."

Tasha nodded, walking over to the fridge to get what she needed, grateful to not have to talk about why she was so suddenly interested in cooking.

* * *

><p>After her shower and a phone call to her aunt, Holly ventured back out to the kitchen to see what Tasha had managed to make.<p>

"Okay, something is definitely going on," she said as she took a seat at the table.

"No, it's not," Tasha insisted.

With a roll of her eyes, Holly walked into the living room and picked up a pile of books before setting them down on the kitchen table with a _plop_.

"We have two cookbooks and one book about cooking for beginners. Let's try this again. What's going on?"

"Why does something have to be going on for me to want to learn how to cook?"

"Because I know you and I know of a certain someone else who desires to be a chef someday. I'd hazard a guess that they're connected."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Whatever. I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now," Holly said with a sigh, dismissing the subject. "What did you make?"

"I ended up just throwing in a pizza," Tasha admitted. "It should be done shortly."

"Pizza works."

"Are you sure you're okay? You seemed really upset earlier."

"Aside from running into Dominic, I also lashed out at my aunt and cousin."

"What did Beth do?"

"Not Beth. Rachel."

"You mean the cousin you just recently started to get to know?"

"Yeah, that one. I was a total bitchy drama queen."

"Okay, you're going to have to start from the beginning. How and where did you run into Dominic, and how does lashing out at your aunt and cousin fit into this?"

"So it all started because I got stuck talking to the parent of one of my dance kids…" Holly began, explaining what had happened that afternoon.

* * *

><p>After getting settled in her own apartment, Rachel picked up her phone to call her boyfriend for their nightly chat.<p>

"Hey, Rach," he answered.

"Hey," she replied, smiling at little at the sound of his voice.

"You okay? You sound sad."

"It's been an…eventful…afternoon."

"Holly found out, didn't she?" Jesse guessed.

"Yes," Rachel confirmed. "She didn't take it well."

"I didn't expect her to."

"I wish I knew how to help her, but I don't think we're really close enough yet, and I'm not sure we ever will be."

"What makes you say that? You two seemed pretty chummy to me."

"I thought we were friends at least. She accused me of not knowing what it was like to feel like my heart was being ripped out of my chest, and she made it sound like I thought that she and Dominic were you and me."

"What did you say to her in response?"

"I told her that I knew she and Dominic weren't you and me, that I absolutely did know that feeling, and that if she was just going to insult me, I didn't want her in my life."

"Wow."

"I may have been a bit harsh with the last part, but I mean it, Jess. I'm done keeping people in my life who aren't going to support me. I don't want to work so hard to win someone over."

"You shouldn't have to," Jesse agreed. "I know you and some of your teammates were eventually able to move past your differences, but you gave them a lot more chances than they deserved. You also gave _me_ more chances than _I_ probably deserved, so I'm not really in a position to throw stones."

"You don't think she meant what she said, do you?"

"No, Rach, I don't. I think she was upset and frustrated, and understandably so. Like you, she's very dramatic and everything she feels, she feels intensely. It's often compounded by the fact that she holds things in until she feels like she's going to explode, too."

"Maybe I'll text her tomorrow, see how she's doing."

"I think she'd appreciate it."

"Enough about me. How was your day?" she asked, wanting to think about something else for a little while.

"Not so bad. I had my performance in Dean Tibideaux's class today."

"How'd that go?"

"Pretty well, actually. She hasn't posted grades yet, but I think she was impressed. She gave us our new assignment, too."

"Which is?"

"She wants us to find a duet partner for our next song. Someone outside of NYADA."

"Why outside of NYADA?"

"No clue. I was actually hoping to convince you to be the person I duet with. You haven't mentioned whether or not you'd want to try going back to college or not, but it could give you a chance to apologize to Dean Tibideaux like you've said you want to."

"You've already put your reputation on the line once for me. I can't let you do it again."

"She has to approve all of the pairings-we're supposed to submit them to her by tomorrow. If she doesn't ask me to find someone else to sing with, then will you agree to duet with me?"

"I'll always sing with you, but yes, if Dean Tibideaux approves the pairing, I will sing a duet with you for your class," Rachel agreed, though she was still a bit apprehensive about the whole thing.

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, as she anxiously waited outside of the door that led to her aunt's daycare, Holly began to wonder if either her aunt or cousin would forgive her for being such a horrible person. Shelby probably wouldn't hold it against her, considering they had been fairly close all of her life, but Rachel she was just starting to get to know. She had given them both, along with herself, a couple of days to calm down before attempting reconciliation. If Rachel was anything like her mother, coffee would definitely be a step in the right direction.<p>

"Holly?" Shelby asked as she answered the door. "You could have just come in…"

"I wasn't sure if I was still welcome," she replied. "Is Rachel here, too?"  
>"She's helping Beth set up the coloring table. Apparently only she does it the right way. If you have time, you could come in and wait for her."<p>

Holly nodded, following her aunt into the room and setting the coffee down on a nearby table.

"I'm sorry about the other day…" she began, holding the cup of coffee she had marked with an S out to the older woman.

"We were running late this morning, we didn't have time to stop for coffee, so this is great. As for the other day, having known you your entire life, and being prone to dramatics myself, I understand. I accept your apology, though."

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, having gotten Beth settled at the coloring table with a couple of the other kids who had arrived early, Rachel walked over to where her mother and cousin were standing.<p>

"Did you bring coffee?" she asked the older girl.

"I did," Holly confirmed, holding the third cup out to her.

Taking a sip, Rachel's eyes widened in surprise when she discovered the other girl had gotten her coffee order exactly correct.

"I kind of cheated with yours," Holly admitted with a small laugh.

"Who told you, Kurt or Jesse?" Rachel wondered.

"Both, actually. I called Jesse first, but he suggested I confirm with Kurt that that was still your favorite kind of coffee, so I did."

"You really didn't need to put that much effort into a coffee order."

"I wanted to. It's my way of showing you, and Aunt Shelby, that I'm sorry for the way I acted the other day."

"I've been informed that apparently a flair for the dramatic runs in the family," Rachel revealed. "I also learned that apparently Jesse isn't the only one who could match me dramatic exit for dramatic exit."

"Is that good or bad?" Holly asked cautiously.

"I don't know if good is necessarily the right word, but I guess that will work for now. You're forgiven."

"Just like that?"

"Well, you didn't interrupt my rehearsal two different times, and I've forgiven the guilty party in those cases, so it seems only fitting to forgive you, too."

"I'm assuming that is some kind of reference to Jesse?"

"It is."

"You'll have to fill me in later, I'm going to be late for my first class if I don't get going, but are you free for lunch?"

"Shelby and I usually just eat something here…" Rachel began, turning to her mother for an answer.

"Go ahead and take a lunch break," Shelby told her with a smile. "You've earned it."

"I have another class to teach this afternoon, so we won't be going far if you're needed here," Holly added. "I'll text you when I'm finished with my first couple of classes, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p>After finishing her last class of the morning and sending a quick text to Rachel, Holly was walking towards the girls' dressing room when she heard Dominic's voice from a nearby room. Curious, she followed the sound and cautiously peeked into the room. He was on the phone talking to someone, but she couldn't make out whom, so she decided not to interrupt him. She had turned around to walk away when she heard him say her name.<p>

"Crap. Busted," she muttered, turning around to face the only boy she'd ever really loved.

"Did you need something?" he asked, walking closer.

"No, I was just walking to the dressing room to change-I'm meeting Rachel for lunch-and I heard your voice. I, um, wanted to apologize for the other day, but I saw you were on the phone and I didn't want to interrupt."

"It was just my sister confirming dinner plans for tonight."

"Melina, Olivia, or Michaela?"

"Well, I was talking to Melina, but actually my whole family will be here tonight. It's the first time I've seen most of them since I got back."

"You sound excited," Holly noticed.

"I am, actually," Dominic confessed. "Lina and I have actually seen each other frequently, but I'm looking forward to seeing my dad and Nell, plus the rest of my siblings."

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks…and about the other day, don't worry about it. I know me being here again is kind of sudden and I didn't leave on the best terms with you."

"Good to know. I need to get going, but I'm sure I'll see you around," Holly said, turning around to leave when she felt Dominic grab her hand.

"Holly, wait…" he began.

Closing her eyes, Holly struggled to hold back the tears as she fought the impulse to turn back around and immediately forgive him if only he would promise not to break her heart again.

"Dominic, please don't," she pleaded.

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't. You made it perfectly clear that I wasn't enough for you before you left. I need to go or I'll be late."

"That's not true, not what I said."

"It doesn't matter now," Holly insisted, tugging her hand away and rushing down the hall before she let herself be talked into letting him back into her life.

* * *

><p>Waiting for Holly outside of the dance studio, Rachel knew the moment she saw the older girl that something was wrong.<p>

"Ready for lunch?" she asked brightly, hoping to cheer the other girl up.

"I'm not really hungry anymore, but I should probably eat something, so I guess so," Holly answered as she and Rachel began walking back downstairs.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay, well, if you change your mind, I'm here for you."

"I appreciate the concern, cousin," Holly replied with a small smile. "I'll let you know if I change my mind."

"Okay, then, let's get going. I'm famished."

"Yeah, I don't know how you manage to keep your energy up with all of those kids around all the time."

"It's not so bad, and there's not a ton of them. They're actually really good kids, and honestly, if I need to work at my mother's daycare for a few months while I get back into the swing of things, I think it'll be worth it."

"Have you heard anything from any of your auditions?"

"No. Not yet. I did find out that I will be stepping foot onto NYADA grounds again, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Jesse still goes to school there, and apparently his final assignment for his class with Dean Tibideaux involves a duet with someone _not_ attending NYADA."

"I haven't ever heard you two sing together, but I've heard you sing separately. I'm sure you'd sound even better together."

"Shelby agreed to work on it with us, which I'm hoping will work in our favor. She helped Jesse with his previous assignment and Dean Tibideaux seemed impressed. Jesse put his reputation on the line for me and I blew it big time. I don't want to risk her taking it out on him."

"Didn't Aunt Shelby say she wasn't doing that?"

"Yes, but I want to be absolutely sure. It's also part of the reason we asked Shelby to help us."

"You know she'll be honest."

"Exactly," Rachel agreed as they walked up to the restaurant. Quickly changing subjects, she flashed her cousin a smile as she said, "We're here."

"I…have never been here," Holly confessed as they walked inside. "How did you find it?"

"My daddy. He was looking up vegan restaurants to try when he and my dad come to visit, and found out this one was close to the building we work in, so he suggested we try it out. They've got lots of different options and have gotten rave reviews."

"Well, it certainly smells good in here, so let's try it."

* * *

><p>Walking into her apartment later that night, Holly was surprised to see a dozen roses sitting on the counter.<p>

"Who are these from?" she asked, looking over at Tasha.

"I didn't read the card, but I assume Dominic," Tasha answered. "I think it's cute."

With a sigh, Holly set her bag down and took off her coat before walking over to the counter and plucking the card from its holder in the middle of the bouquet.

_Holly-_

_Je suis désolé. Je t'aime._

_-Dominic_

"What does that mean?" Tasha asked, having read the card over her friend's shoulder.

"He said 'I'm sorry. I love you," Holly translated, tears forming in her eyes for the second time that day.

"You feel the same, don't you?"

"I don't want to."

"He came back to New York because you're here, because this is where you both have always dreamed of living. I think that in and of itself speaks volumes about his intentions," Tasha told her. "He sent you your favorite flowers and wrote you a note in French, a language you've loved since you were young. A language he made an effort to master so he could at least understand what you were saying."

"I know."

"So talk to him. Let him explain. Maybe the only one who can heal your heart is the one who broke it in the first place."

Holly nodded, slipping the note into her pocket before making her way down the hall to her room. Quickly shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it as she let the tears begin to fall.

"Damn you, Dominic," she swore as she slid to the ground and buried her face in her hands. "Why did you have to remember so much about me?"

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, having spent the majority of her days holed up in her apartment, Holly was surprised when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Opening the door, she saw Tasha standing there looking annoyed.<p>

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Put that damn necklace back on and go reunite with Dominic like I know you're trying to talk yourself out of doing. I'm meeting Alec for lunch, you better not still be here when I get back," she informed her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Tasha rolled her eyes, walking over to Holly's dresser and picking up a small white box, opening it to reveal the necklace Dominic had given to Holly shortly after they began dating.

"I know you took this out of the drawer and have had it here ever since," she revealed.

"I told you to throw it away," Holly reminded her.

"I knew you'd regret it if I did, so I put it someplace I didn't think you'd ever look. You can't tell me you weren't happy to know I didn't actually throw it out."

"You don't know everything about me."

"No, but we've been friends for years, so I think I know you pretty well. If you didn't want the necklace, you could have thrown it away yourself, but you didn't."

Holly opened her mouth to deny what Tasha had said, but immediately closed it when she realized the other girl was right.

"Look, if you want me to help you find Dominic, or go with you to make sure you actually make it to his place, I will."

"I know where he lives."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Rachel is dating Jesse, you know, Dominic's friend and roommate."

"Right."

"Go to lunch, Tasha. I'll see you later. Tell Alec I said hi," Holly replied, pushing the other girl out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

Looking in the mirror once more, Holly sighed as she looked over at the box containing the necklace from Dominic. She'd worn that necklace every day when they were together, even when she was in Akron and he was in New York. Taking it out of the box, she held it in her hands for a few moments before slipping it around her neck again.

"Here goes nothing, I guess," she said to herself as she walked out the door.

Quickly grabbing her coat, purse, and keys, she left the apartment and began the journey to Dominic and Jesse's place, hoping he would be home and she didn't lose her nerve somewhere along the way.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** First of all, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story. I'm glad you all seem to enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Secondly, to my unnamed guest reviewer, I don't think you're harsh. I like knowing what my readers like, what they want to see more of, etc. I obviously can't guarantee that anything in particular will happen, mostly because I'm writing this as I go and my muse isn't always cooperative. I will try to keep Rachel and Jesse the focus, though.

I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please review! :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee.

* * *

><p>As she was walking out of her apartment building, Holly was taking her phone out of her pocket to call her cousin when she saw the girl in question waiting in the lobby.<p>

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to see you," she answered simply. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. Your roommate let me in. She recognized me from pictures and because we look alike, I guess."

"Why didn't you just come upstairs?"

"I was told that you were supposed to be on your way out anyway, so I figured this was the best place to be to catch you."

"I was about to call you," Holly revealed. "I need to talk to Dominic, but I'm afraid I'm going to lose my nerve. I know you were going to see Jesse anyway, and since he lives with Dominic, I was hoping I could tag along. It'll also keep me from driving myself crazy by the time I get there."

"Apparently we not only look alike, but we think alike as well," Rachel told her with a smile. "I was going to convince you to accompany me to Jesse's so you could talk to Dominic. I already talked to Jesse and he said Dominic is home, with no known plans to leave anytime soon."

"Then let's go."

Rachel nodded, following her cousin out the door before falling into step beside her as they began to walk down the street.

"I need a distraction," Holly said a few moments later. "Tell me about the rehearsal interruptions you talked about the other day."

"Well, it started when Jesse came back from spring break with Vocal Adrenaline…" Rachel began-happy to be able to both help her cousin and reminisce about the good parts of the first time she and Jesse were together.

* * *

><p>"You ready?" Rachel asked as she and Holly approached the apartment building where Jesse and Dominic lived.<p>

"As ready as I'm ever going to be, I think," Holly replied.

"Let's go then."

"Dominic doesn't know I'm going to be here, right?"

"Jesse promised he wouldn't say anything. We agreed to meet at his place this time, since the music store and restaurant we wanted to check out are closer to here than to my place. To my knowledge, that's all Dominic knows."

After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Holly faced her cousin once more.

"It's now or never, I guess," she said.

Rachel smiled as she linked arms with the older girl.

"I have a feeling you won't regret this…either of you…and Jesse can verify that my feelings are rarely wrong. I'm a little psychic, you know."

"Good to know."

"Jesse said something similar to that when I told him," Rachel commented as they continued to walk towards the building. "It's better than laughing at me or telling me that I'm just crazy, I guess."

"I think you get it from Aunt Shelby. She's always had this way of just knowing something is right for someone, or something is going to work in someone's favor, usually her own."

"I'll have to ask her about it."

"She's enjoyed getting to know you more. I can tell."

"I've surprisingly enjoyed it, too. I don't know if I'll ever be able to call her 'mom', but I'm grateful she convinced me to give life in New York another chance."

"Me, too. Just don't tell her I said that."

Rachel laughed as she let go of Holly's arm and opened the door to the entryway.

"I won't," she promised. "Now be quiet for a minute so I can let Jesse know I'm here."

* * *

><p>A few minutes after buzzing Rachel and Holly into the building, Jesse smiled when he heard the knock on the door.<p>

"Hi, Rach," Jesse greeted as he opened the door, careful not to reveal that Holly was with her."I just need to let Dominic know I'm leaving, and then we can go."

"Did you find that CD you wanted me to listen to?" Rachel asked as she and Holly followed Jesse into the apartment and closed the door behind them.

"Yeah. It's on my bedside table. You can grab it while I talk to Dominic quick."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, walking past both him and Holly as she made her way down the hall to Jesse's room.

"Dominic, I'm leaving," Jesse said as he knocked on his roommate's bedroom door, hiding his smile when the door opened a few seconds later and Dominic saw Holly standing next to him. "She wanted to talk to you but was afraid you wouldn't stick around if you knew she was going to be accompanying Rachel here, so I'm sorry for not telling you, but I'm just trying to be a good friend to both of you."

* * *

><p>"Ready to go?" Rachel asked softly as she approached the group standing outside of Dominic's bedroom door.<p>

"Yes," Jesse answered, taking Rachel's hand and lacing their fingers together as they walked down the hall. "Did you find the CD?"

"I did. Thank you. Did you have a chance to talk to Shelby about duet suggestions?"

"She had a few. I'll fill you in on the way to the music store."

Rachel smiled and nodded, following her boyfriend out the door as they continued talking.

"I've noticed something," Rachel commented as she and Jesse began the short walk to the nearby music store.

"What's that?"

"Well, I guess notice isn't the right word, but talking with you has always been so effortless. I don't have to wrack my brain for things for us to talk about, and you follow my sometimes erratic trains of thought with no problem. It's nice."

Jesse smiled, squeezing Rachel's hand before he spoke again.

"It's supposed to be that way, isn't it?" he asked. "You and I have always understood each other. It's why I could so easily forgive you, and I'm guessing it's why you so easily forgave me."

"It is," Rachel confirmed.

"You okay?" Jesse wondered, watching Rachel wipe away tears from her eyes.

"I'm just emotional today, I guess. I've realized that I have more people than ever in my life who really understand me, who accept me, and who won't judge me. Kurt and I might argue from time to time, but he's still my best friend and I wouldn't trade that friendship for anything. I feel like Holly and I have gotten close, and Shelby has been great, too. I've even started getting to know Beth, which actually isn't as awkward as I thought it would be."

"That's how it's supposed to be, Rach. I keep telling you, you shouldn't have to try so hard. I mean, you have to put effort into relationships, but it has to go both ways, you know? You can't be the only one putting in the effort."

"I know. I was just so…tired…of being mocked, of not feeling like I had any real friends, that I think I overcompensated. I was desperate for friends, for someone to understand."

"I had a feeling that was the case," Jesse admitted. "I didn't want to upset you, so I didn't say anything. I just tried to show you that things could be different, that they could be better. I didn't walk away from my team with many friends, either, but I'm grateful for the ones I do have. I've already been roped into being the best man at Andi and Nate's wedding next year."

"You act like they forced you into it or something," Rachel said with a laugh. "They asked you and you agreed because they're your friends. You can't fool me, Jesse St. James. I know you actually have a big heart. You just act like you don't."

"Honestly, Rach? You're one of the few people I've ever been able to be myself around. My parents were never proud of me. They paid for my vocal, piano, and dance lessons as long as I didn't mention any of it to their friends or at any of their various parties. I usually ended up in Lima during those weekends, sometimes I'd go to Dominic's or Andi's, but the few I did have to attend I had to convince myself were acting exercises. I had to pretend to be someone I wasn't. It ended up spilling over into my everyday life. I figured if I didn't let people in, they couldn't hurt me."

"That's horrible."

"You already knew all of that, though."

"I knew most of it. I kind of guessed the last part. You never seemed closed off to me, though."

Jesse smiled, raising Rachel's hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to it before he spoke again.

"You never gave me much of a choice. I didn't have to pretend with you, to act like I slipped up and mention something about musical theatre or Broadway or show choir and see how you'd react. I knew you were already into all of those things. I wasn't expecting to fall so hard and so fast, though."

"I always thought you were cute," Rachel admitted, eliciting a chuckle from Jesse. "Then we sang together and that was it. I knew I'd met my equal. I just didn't believe anyone could love me. Most people barely tolerated me. Then you came along. You've always given me your full attention when I'm talking, you could match me vocally and intellectually. It was like a dream come true. I didn't think I deserved it, that it would even be possible."

"Now we know it is. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this work because I love you and you're the only one for me. It's always been you, Rach."

"You're going to make me cry again, you jerk," Rachel told him, blinking back the tears that had formed in her eyes again.

Jesse chuckled, pulling her aside as they reached the music store.

"I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry," he told her. "Although I have to admit, I was hoping for a better response than being called a jerk."

Rachel laughed as she hugged her boyfriend tightly.

"You know I feel the same way, and that I love you, too."

"True, but it's still nice to hear. We can be sappy some more later, but right now, we need to find a song for our duet. Something to impress one Dean Carmen Tibideaux," Jesse reminded her.

"Then impress her we shall."

* * *

><p>After being shaken out of his shock by the sound of the door closing, Dominic turned his head to look at the girl standing in front of him, feeling his heart jump a little when he saw she was wearing the necklace he'd gotten her.<p>

"I don't understand," he admitted. "Why are you here? I got the impression you wanted nothing to do with me."

"I tried to convince myself that I didn't," Holly revealed.

"Why?"

"Because you broke my heart, Dominic. I didn't really want to go through that again. I figured I'd save myself the pain and just not let you back into my life."

"Okay, so what changed your mind?"

"Talking with Rachel. She and Jesse have been through so much, yet they were able to move past it and now they're in a really good place. She's made comments about always loving Jesse, even when she didn't want to admit it. He just gets her. It made me realize that I had that once, too-with you."

"I regret what I did-breaking up with you, I mean. I've regretted it since the moment I made the stupid decision to do it. I just felt like we were living two completely different lives. We hardly talked. It felt like you were pulling away and I didn't know how to handle it. Instead of fighting for you like I should have, I gave up. I convinced myself that you'd be better off without me."

"How could I possibly be better off without you?!" Holly demanded. "How are you better off without someone you love?!"

"I didn't say it was logical."

"You didn't answer my questions, either."

"I told you-I felt like you were pulling away. I figured I should just let you go now before we let things continue longer than they should have."

"I was busy, so sue me! It was my senior year of high school! I was doing everything I could possibly think of to ensure that I ended up in New York with you. I've always wanted to live here, but the prospect of living here with you made it even more desirable. I thought it was something we both wanted."

"I should have remembered that, but like I said, I wasn't thinking very logically. I wanted you to accomplish your dreams and I didn't want to stand in the way, so without me in the picture, you could put that time to better use."

"That's ridiculous."

"I know that now."

"Why did you come back here, Dominic?"

"Mostly because I wanted to. The tour just reminded me how much I liked living in one place, here in New York in particular. Once I got settled, I was planning to find you and convince you to give me another shot. I wasn't planning on literally running into you."

"I wasn't planning on it, either. Obviously."

"As much as that fall hurt, I'm glad it happened," Dominic told her, turning serious as he reached for her hands and held them in his. "If it didn't, you might not be standing in front of me right now wearing the necklace I gave you."

"You're really here to stay?" Holly asked.

"As long as you're here, I'm here."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I'm not leaving again, Holly. I love you. You're the only one I want to be with."

"I'll kill you if you even try to leave again," Holly informed him, pulling her hands away before launching herself at Dominic and hugging him tightly.

"I expect nothing less," Dominic replied as he returned her hug. "At the risk of pressing my luck, does this mean you'll give me another chance?"

Pulling back, Holly looked up at Dominic with a smile as she spoke.

"I suppose that could be negotiated," she replied.

"Negotiated?"

"Yes. I just have one more demand, since the others have already been met."

Hoping he was correctly following Holly's thought process, Dominic bent his head to press his lips to hers. When she tightened her arms around his neck and began to kiss him back, he knew he'd been right.

"I love you, too, by the way," Holly told him as they ended the kiss, and then quickly pressed her lips to his again before he could say anything in response.

* * *

><p>"Any luck?" Jesse asked as he found Rachel in a corner of the music store.<p>

"Maybe," she replied, handing him the music she'd found. "What about you?"

"Not really, no. I was thinking of calling Shelby, to be honest. She's always been great at choosing songs."

"Well, even if we don't end up singing these songs, I want the music for them anyway, so I'm going to get them. While I'm buying them, you can call Shelby and see if she would be able to meet us for dinner or something."

"Works for me," Jesse agreed. "They're good duet songs, even if we don't end up choosing them for the assignment."

"All duets are good duets if we're the ones singing. Some are decidedly cheesier than others, but the singing will always be superb."

"Of course."

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, eyeing her boyfriend carefully, noticing he seemed to be trying to hide nerves of some kind.

"My sister called a little while ago," Jesse revealed. "She and my grandma want to meet you."

"They do?"

"Yeah. I want them to meet you and vice versa, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it."

"I'd love to meet them. They're your family."

"I'll text Gen and let her know. After I call Shelby, that is."

"Okay, I'll meet you outside," Rachel said, pressing a kiss to Jesse's cheek before walking up to the counter to pay for her items.

* * *

><p>After putting Beth down for a short nap, Shelby was surprised to hear her phone ringing. She was even more surprised that Jesse was the one calling her. They had started to become close again over the last couple of years, but they still weren't as close as they once were. She had been thrilled when he asked her to help him with his NYADA assignment, even more when he asked her to help him again and this time it would be a duet with Rachel.<p>

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, Shelby," Jesse greeted.

"Hi, Jesse. What can I do for you?"

"Rachel and I were wondering if you would have some time to go over the song selection for our duet. Maybe you could meet us for dinner or something?"

"Beth's play-date cancelled and I don't have a baby-sitter, so unfortunately, I think meeting you two somewhere is out of the question. However, if you both are okay with it, I could cook dinner here and then we could go over songs afterwards. Beth usually plays with her toys for a while before I put her to bed."

"I'll ask Rachel and let you know."

"Hiram emailed me his vegan lasagna recipe and one for a bean salad as well."

"He remembered," Jesse said in surprise.

"Hiram remembered something?" Shelby asked, unsure where Jesse's train of thought had gone.

"Yes. When Rachel and I first dated, he and Leroy invited me over for dinner one night and Hiram had made this bean salad. It quickly became my favorite side-dish."

"I'm not sure I can make it taste like anything Hiram makes, but I can certainly give it a try."

"Mentioning that particular dish was not fair, Shelby."

"In my defense, I didn't know you liked it so much. I would like to do something nice for you and Rachel, though. I know she's been missing the home-cooked meals she got with her dads, too."

"Like I said, I'll talk to Rachel," Jesse promised before slightly changing the subject. "My sister and grandma want to meet her."

"Meet Rachel?"

"Yeah. I'm not really sure what to think about it."

"I highly doubt your sister and grandmother would have an ulterior motive to wanting to meet your girlfriend, Jesse. If it was your parents, then I'd probably suspect something, but not Genevieve and Jacqueline. They've been completely supportive of you since you re-connected with them. I talk to your grandmother on a weekly basis, remember? She's been curious about Rachel for a while. I'm sure they'll love her just as much as you do."

"I hope so."

"You really don't need to worry, Jesse. I promise."

"Okay. Thanks. I think I see Rachel, so I'll talk to her and call you right back."

"Sounds like a plan," Shelby agreed before ending the call and setting the phone back down on the table, hoping Rachel and Jesse would agree to the dinner.

* * *

><p>"What did Shelby say?" Rachel asked as she joined Jesse outside a few minutes later.<p>

"She invited us over for dinner, since she couldn't meet us somewhere. She said something about your daddy emailing her his lasagna and bean salad recipes. I'm not entirely sure the two go together, but if bean salad is involved, I'm not going to complain," Jesse replied.

"Of course not."

"I told Shelby I'd call her back about dinner once I talked to you."

"I think it would be a nice change," Rachel answered. "I'm okay with it. We could move our musical movie night to my place, too, since it's right across the hall."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Jesse agreed as he stood and held his hand out to Rachel. "I'll call Shelby while we walk to the restaurant."

Taking Jesse's hand, Rachel stood up herself before falling into step beside him as he called Shelby. She was happy to be able to spend the day with him and she hoped things were going as well for her cousin as they were for her.

* * *

><p>Sitting in his home office, Hiram was startled by the sound of his phone ringing. Leroy was home and he knew Rachel was going to be out with Jesse all day so he wasn't expecting any other calls. Glancing at the screen, he was surprised to see Shelby's name there.<p>

"Shelby? Is everything okay?" he immediately asked as he answered.

"Rachel is fine. I just need some tips on how to cook this vegan lasagna for Rachel. I found the email with the recipe, but not the notes I wrote to go along with it," Shelby told him.

"You're cooking for Rachel?"

"Rachel and Jesse, actually. Well, Beth, too, but I think I'll make her something different. Rachel won't mind, will she?"

"I doubt it. Leroy sometimes eats something different than Rachel and me. She's never had a problem with it before, as long as you don't make her eat it."

"I just hope I don't mess this up. I don't cook a whole lot in general."

"I'm sure Rachel will appreciate the effort. Did you buy the ingredients yet?"

"No. I'm waiting for Beth to wake up from her nap first."

"Rachel and I researched grocery stores before she moved there. I don't really remember where they all are, but I have the list of names I can give you."

"I'll take all the help I can get."

"How's Rachel doing, by the way? Honestly."

"I think she's better than ever, honestly. She's had a few auditions, and she's been a big help at the daycare. She's even started bonding with Beth, and she and Holly were fast friends. Things with Jesse seem to be going well. They're singing a duet for one of Jesse's classes at NYADA and they asked me to help them, which is part of the reason they're coming over for dinner."

"Song selection time?" Hiram guessed.

"Yes. They went to a music store by Jesse's apartment earlier to try and find some music, and I've got some here as well they can look through."

"Leroy and I would like to meet Holly the next time we're in New York. Apparently she's expressed interest in meeting us as well."

"She has," Shelby confirmed. "Like I said, she and Rachel became fast friends, which I can't say completely surprised me. My mom adores her, too. She's thrilled to have another grandchild to spoil."

"I'm happy to hear Rachel really is doing well, and I know Leroy will be, too."

"I think I hear Beth, so I need to go, but can I call you again if I have any more questions?"

"Of course. You'll have to let me know how it turns out."

"I will. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Hiram told her, smiling to himself as he ended the call.

He was more than happy to hear his daughter was doing well in New York, he was relieved, and he was certain Leroy would feel the same. He trusted Shelby, but he missed Rachel and he wanted to see for himself how she was doing. He also wanted to reacquaint himself with the boy she loved and meet the cousin she had recently started to bond with. Quickly saving his work, he stood and went to find his husband, hoping to convince him to accompany him on a trip to New York in the near future.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** As I said in the latest update of _A Different Way to Happily Ever After_, I'm so sorry for the long absence. Real life has been crazy and my muse has been rather uncooperative. This chapter is back to being very St. Berry-centric, so I hope you all enjoy and please review! :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee.

* * *

><p>After dinner and getting Beth settled in the living room, Shelby brought a few pieces of music to the table where Rachel and Jesse still sat.<p>

"I like the title of this one," Jesse joked, pointing to the top of the piece of music he had picked up.

"What is it called?' Rachel wondered, leaning over to look at the music. "_We Belong_."

"Would you like to hear it?" Shelby asked.

"I think I have, actually," Jesse said. "I'm pretty sure I've heard Gen playing it before."

"Well, I haven't, but I'd like to," Rachel added.

"I'll be right back," Shelby told them, getting up and walking into her bedroom.

Glancing over at Jesse, Rachel noticed that he appeared a little nervous.

"Are you okay?" she asked, reaching for his hand.

"I'll feel better once we find our song."

"We already have a song, remember?"

Jesse smiled a little at Rachel's question. He would always remember that day in the music store. He hadn't been planning on singing with her, it was an impulse move, but he was glad he had gone with it.

"I remember," he told her. "You were kind of starstruck."

"Well, what did you expect? You were the star of the show choir who had won Nationals six years running. I was a little glee club nobody. I didn't expect you to know who I was, let alone actually sing with me, or even talk to me."

"Do you regret that I did?"

"I thought I did after you broke my heart, after I broke yours, but no, I don't."

"Good. Then maybe we can reprise that particular duet sometime."

"I'd like that," Rachel told him with a smile.

"I didn't know you two sang a duet in a music store," Shelby commented as she returned to the table with her laptop.

"I told you I met her in a music store," Jesse reminded his former coach.

"I know, but you never mentioned singing with her. I didn't even know you'd asked her out until Will came to see me a couple of days later."

"Did you really expect Jesse to do exactly as you asked?" Rachel wondered.

"No, not really," Shelby answered with a laugh. "Apparently there's more to the story of your first meeting than Jesse ever let on, though."

"We'll fill you in later," Jesse promised. "Can we listen to the song now?"

Shelby nodded, doing her best not to smile as she pressed the play button. A few seconds into the song, she saw Jesse look over at Rachel, who nodded almost imperceptibly before they both turned their attention back to the song.

* * *

><p>"Well, what do you think?" Shelby asked once the song had ended.<p>

"I think it's perfect," Rachel replied.

"I agree," Jesse responded.

"Then it's been decided," Shelby told them. "Now I want you to spend some time learning the lyrics and rehearsing, and then we'll meet up in a couple of days to put everything together."

"Do you think Dean Tibideaux will like it?" Rachel inquired, nervously looking back and forth between Jesse and Shelby.

"I think she will," Jesse answered. "From the conversations I've heard in class, a lot of people are going to the show tunes route. Which we could have excelled at, I have no doubt, but I think she'll be impressed we went in a different direction."

"I agree with Jesse," Shelby added. "She's probably expecting show tunes from everyone, so even if the performance doesn't go perfectly, which I have no doubt that it will, by the way, I think you'll earn points for doing something different."

"I hope so. I don't want to be the reason Jesse gets a poor grade on this performance."

"I'm fairly certain that's not possible for either of you, let alone the two of you together," Shelby said with a smile. "Now that you have a song picked out, why don't you two go relax for a little while, take your minds off of the duet. I think it'll do you both good."

At Shelby's words, Jesse glanced at his watch before turning to the girl at his side.

"I think we have time to catch that movie you wanted to see, Rach," he said.

"Shouldn't we start rehearsing the song?" Rachel asked.

"Aren't you forgetting that we could pull off a duet in our sleep? You heard what Shelby said-time away from concentrating on the duet will do us both good. We'll start fresh tomorrow."

"I should probably call and check on Holly, too. Though considering I haven't gotten an upset text or phone call from her, I'm assuming everything is fine."

"Why wouldn't she be okay?" Shelby inquired as Jesse and Rachel stood.

"Rachel and I sort of helped Dominic and Holly get back together," Jesse answered.

"More like pushed them in the right direction and helped create an opportunity for them to work things out in private," Rachel added.

"It was kind of like how you suggested I give Rachel a call…"

"I was going to do the same thing pretty soon here," Shelby admitted. "Holly and Dominic have been crazy about each other since the moment they met, sort of like you and Rachel I imagine. They had a hard time after Dominic went off to college and Holly had a very busy senior year of high school. Now that they're back in the same city, there's no reason they can't be back on the same page with their lives."

"I like Dominic, I think he'll be good for Holly," Rachel decided.

"He is. Now go to your movie and have some fun."

"Going. Bye, Shelby," Jesse said, grabbing Rachel's hand and pulling her towards the door.

"Bye, Shelby," Rachel echoed as she followed Jesse out the door.

* * *

><p>Walking into the apartment after making sure Rachel got back to hers safely, Jesse wasn't surprised to see Holly's things still sitting by the door. He was surprised a few minutes later, however, when he heard a knock at the door. After looking through the peephole and recognizing the person who stood on the other side, he quickly opened the door.<p>

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I missed you," Rachel answered simply, with a shrug of her shoulders. "A few minutes after you left, I realized that I didn't want to spend the night alone. I was hoping that you would answer, and that you wouldn't make me go back to my apartment."

"I thought you weren't ready to move in together?"

"I'm not…but I think we're ready to spend a few nights together here and there. If you don't feel the same, I can just go home…"

"No, I want you to stay," Jesse told her, taking her hand and pulling her inside before shutting the door behind her.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Come on, let's go to bed. I'm tired and I know you are, too. I was thinking of conning Dominic into making breakfast in the morning. He's actually a pretty decent cook, plus he owes us."

Rachel smiled as she followed Jesse down the hall.

"I like that idea," she told him.

"I like yours, too, by the way."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I think it's a good next step for us. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work, you know that, right?"

"I figured as much, but it's kind of nice to hear it," Rachel admitted as she and Jesse entered his room.

"I love you," Jesse told her, leaning down to brush his lips with hers.

"I love you, too."

"Come on, let's get ready for bed. I'm tired and I'd like to get to sleep as soon as possible."

Rachel smiled and nodded, doing as Jesse suggested and sending up a silent thank you to whoever made another chance with the boy she loved possible.

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to join the living," Holly joked as she saw Rachel and Jesse walk into the kitchen the next morning.<p>

"You're one to talk," Rachel retorted. "I didn't hear from you at all yesterday after Jesse and I left you here with Dominic."

"I figured you would assume everything was fine unless you heard from me. Which it is, by the way."

Rachel smiled a little as she took the seat across from Holly at the table.

"I had no doubt it would be."

"So, did you two finally decide on a song for your upcoming duet?" Dominic asked from his spot near the stove.

"Yes. It's not originally a duet, so we need to decide who is going to sing what, though. With final approval by Shelby of course," Jesse answered.

"Can we hear it?" Holly wondered.

"Once we get everything worked out, I don't see why not," Rachel responded, looking over at Jesse for confirmation.

"I have no problem with it. It can be sort of like a dress rehearsal or run-through," he added before turning to his roommate. "What are you making?"

"Pancakes. It was either this or frozen waffles."

"I'll take the pancakes."

"That's what we figured," Dominic told him before changing the subject. "I wanted to run something past you, too."

"Is it about a certain brunette ballet dancer?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Because I was going to ask you the same thing about the other brunette sitting at the table," Jesse revealed.

"I like Rachel, so I'm fine with it."

"Same goes for Holly. I assume at some point they'll end up living here anyway, so we might as well get used to having them around sooner rather than later."

"Good point."

Jesse chuckled, his smile growing as he saw Rachel and Holly laughing at something one of them had said. The two cousins might not know each other very well yet, but they had become fast friends and were already becoming very close. He knew Kurt and Holly were on the way to becoming good friends, too, so he wouldn't be surprised to see the whole group over at the apartment at some point, including some of Holly's friends, which gave him an idea he made a mental note to run past Rachel later.

* * *

><p>At the end of the week, as they walked to Dean Tibideaux's class together, Jesse noticed Rachel was holding his hand abnormally tightly.<p>

"Rach, breathe," he reminded her. "Everything is going to be fine. We've rehearsed this with Shelby, and she approved of it. Holly and Dominic liked it, too."

"It's not the duet I'm worried about," Rachel admitted. "It's seeing Dean Tibideaux again. She and I didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

"I'm sure it will be fine. She knows you'll be there, so it's not like this is unexpected or unapproved."

Rachel sighed, stopping to close her eyes and take a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she managed a smile for her boyfriend.

"Let's go blow them all away, then," she told him confidently.

Jesse grinned at her, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before they began to walk again.

"That's more like it."

"You know, if this goes well, I think we're going to have to add this to our list of best performances."

"It might be our second best duet," Jesse agreed.

"Second best?"

"_Hello_ might not be a challenging song, but it's definitely a performance I'll never forget."

"I agree."

"I was hoping you would."

* * *

><p>"Jesse."<p>

Upon hearing Dean Tibideaux call his name, Jesse grabbed Rachel's hand and led her to the front of the room with him. Like the students before him had done, he turned to address the audience.

"My name is Jesse St. James, this is my duet partner, Rachel Berry, and we will be singing _We Belong_."

After receiving the signal to begin the song, the musicians that had been brought in to accompany the class today began to play the song Jesse and Rachel had chosen. Taking a breath, Rachel sang the first, staying quiet on the second verse and joining Jesse on the chorus.

_Many times I've tried to tell you  
>Many times I've cried alone<br>Always I'm surprised how well you  
>Cut my feelings to the bone<em>

**Don't want to leave you really  
>I've invested too much time<br>To give you up that easy  
>To the doubts that complicate your mind<strong>

_**We Belong to the light  
>We Belong to the thunder<br>We Belong to the sound of the words  
>We've both fallen under<br>Whatever we deny or embrace  
>For worse or for better<br>We Belong, We Belong  
>We Belong together<strong>_

* * *

><p>When the song ended, Jesse and Rachel smiled at each other as they saw the audience clapping enthusiastically for them. As they reclaimed their seats, they saw Dean Tibideaux make her way to the front of the room.<p>

"Before everyone leaves, I want to once again thank everyone who took the time out of their schedules to be here today to be part of this assignment. I will have grades posted by Monday and will be passing back individual feedback in class that day as well. If you have any further questions, please let me know. Otherwise, you all are free to go," she said before walking over to the desk in the corner of the room where she had set her things earlier.

* * *

><p>"Dean Tibideaux?"<p>

At the sound of her name, Carmen looked up from the bag she was packing to find Rachel standing next to her.

"Miss Berry, it's nice to see you again," she said pleasantly.

"I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to be Jesse's duet partner…and I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved the last time we spoke," Rachel said, some of her words tumbling out in a rush due to her nerves.

"I'll admit that Mr. St. James' request took me by surprise, but having heard you both sing separately, I was intrigued as to what you would sound like together. Jesse is also one of my best students and he's worked very hard since his first day here, so I felt he deserved to have his first choice of duet partners. As for your behavior the last time we spoke, apology accepted. I still believe leaving NYADA was a mistake, but I also believe that there are some things you simply can't learn in school, no matter what level of education you've had."

"I certainly learned my lesson. To say that I crashed and burned is an understatement."

"If I may ask, what brought you back to New York?"

"My biological mother, Shelby. My dads got in touch with her and they sort of ganged up on me. She made some valid points and offered to help me get back on the path that I hope will someday lead back to a starring role on Broadway."

"Shelby Corcoran?"

"Yes…why?"

"You always reminded me of her, and now I know why. You also won't find a better coach. I know you might think Mr. St. James was wrong about you, but he wasn't."

"He wasn't?"

"No. You have what it takes to be a star, Miss Berry; you just need to learn to not take the success for granted, which I don't think you will ever again."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rachel told her with a small smile. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>"Can I ask what you and Dean Tibideaux were talking about?" Jesse inquired as he and Rachel walked out of the classroom.<p>

"I wanted to thank her for allowing me to be your duet partner and apologize for the way things ended the last time we spoke," Rachel answered.

"Did you accomplish both of those things?"

"Yes. She also told me that you weren't wrong about me."

"Of course I wasn't," Jesse insisted, eliciting an indulgent eye-roll from Rachel. "How did you find out about that conversation, anyway?"

"Shelby."

"I should have guessed."

"I'm sorry for almost messing things up for you, Jess."

"I know. I'm just happy to see you as determined as ever to make it back to Broadway."

"Yeah, if only I could find someone to take a chance on me again."

"I think I know of a few people who might be willing to do just that."

Rachel eyed her boyfriend skeptically before she spoke again.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that there are people who have seen success with someone who many thought would never be on Broadway again."

"You mean like what happened with Ivy Lynn?"

"Yes."

"There's a few differences between her situation and mine: she knew people in the business before all of this happened. She has years of experience behind her. She was good friends with the co-creator and eventual director of _Bombshell_. I don't have any of that."

"That doesn't mean someone wouldn't be willing to do for you what Tom and Julia did for Ivy."

"While that would be nice, I'm not going to get my hopes up."

"I understand."

Rachel smiled at him, squeezing his hand as they continued to walk together.

"Thank you," she told him.

"You know I only want the best for you, right?"

"I know."

"Good. Now, what are your thoughts on a karaoke night with some of our friends?"

"It sounds like fun. Are you planning one?"

"Thinking about it."

"Well, Kurt and Blaine would probably be all for it. Maybe Santana and Dani, and Elliott, too. Do you think Holly and Dominic would go?"

"I can't guarantee that either would get up and sing, but they'd probably come to see us perform."

"Then I think you should start planning it. If it goes well and everyone gets along, maybe we could have a holiday party or something next month when it gets closer to the Christmas and Hanukkah."

"Maybe," Jesse agreed. "Let's concentrate on the karaoke night first, okay?"

Rachel nodded, knowing he was right.

"Sorry. I get ahead of myself sometimes," she said softly.

"You don't need to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. I think it's cute, actually."

"You would."

Jesse chuckled, releasing Rachel's hand to slide his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer.

"Come on, there's a café up the road that just started serving vegan desserts. I thought maybe we could get coffee and treat ourselves to an early dessert since our performance went so well today."

"I'd like that," Rachel told him with a smile, leaning into his side and wrapping her own arm around his waist as they walked.

* * *

><p>song: "We Belong" by Everly (originally Pat Benatar)<p> 


End file.
